You, Me and the Navy
by angeleyes2838
Summary: One ship. One Crew. One set of rules. Three messed up love stories. It's a tangled amount of affairs, and even the new commander will find herself caught in the moment. Triangles, squares, & the question hanging on everyone's lips: Are they? Aren't they?
1. Prologue: Three Years Before

He looked down at the piece of paper sitting on his desk awaiting his attention. His tired brain strained against reading it, but almost twenty years of protocol drilled in from the moment he stepped foot into the Royal Australian Navy, insisted that he put off sleep for just a little while longer. But upon reading the first few lines of the document, Mike's eyes widened and it seemed like sleep would never come again.

"Why _her_?" he wondered out loud, suppressing the urge to groan. Running a hand through his already messy hair, his eyes wandered over the name once more, before skimming over the rest of the document and stopping at the very small postscript.

Smiling, he rolled his eyes before folding the document neatly into thirds. Filing it away with the rest of the awaiting documents to be read, he gazed momentarily at the photo sitting on his desk. His smile faltered slightly as he took in the happy scene, and realisation dawned on him.

_Damn_, he thought,_ this means I have to put it away..._

_Document of Notice and Transfer_

_Rank: LIEUTENANT  
Name: Kate McGregor  
Date of Birth: April 27__th__, 1979_

_Ship: HMAS Hammersley  
Position: Executive Officer_

_This document is to state the positioning and transfer of Lieutenant Kate McGregor from divisional officer of HMAS Melbourne to executive officer of HMAS Hammersley. This document is enforced as of Friday 27__th__ April, 2007. _

_Signed,_  
Commander Steve Marshall

_P.S. Mike, please give this one a go._

_

* * *

_

**A/N: **Well here it is, the prologue for my new fanfic: You, Me and the Navy. I got the idea from the title of a fanfic I've been reading on called You, Me and the Bourgeoisie. I basically liked the way the title flowed so I came up with my own little version (title wise). I'm really enjoying writing this fic, so I hope that you all enjoy reading it. Please note also, that this is an alternate universe. ET is still alive, Buffer, Spider and Nikki haven't left, and Gap-Girl and Maxine have joined the ensemble.

Please give me any feedback you have to give 'cause it'll all be taken into account and much appreciated.


	2. Chapter 1: Changing of the Guard

The month of January, in amongst the heat of the day and the party atmosphere surrounding it, brought not only a new year and many resolutions, but a new leader to Cairns' naval headquarters, as well as a new boss to the crew of _HMAS Hammersley._

Enter Commander Maxine 'Knocker' White – not that she likes the nickname Knocker. But if one were to ask the other naval personnel, it really did suit her. Commander White's first day on base at HMAS Cairns went as well as it could be expected to. It was surrounded by all the usual pomp and circumstance, with naval drums beating in the background as the changeover took place. Photo opportunities presented themselves everywhere, but like the strict lass that she was brought up to be, she refused them all, save the official ones.

All the docked ships' company turned up in ceremonial rigging to witness the event, including the somewhat infamous HMAS Hammersley, who had been lucky in not getting the New Year patrol (though it was to end that day). According to the ship gossip, their luck had something to do with the Hammersley being Commander Marshall's favourite crew. One crew member in particular had commented that, "life sucks if you're the crew of Kingston."

"Is that really necessary?" the XO had asked the crew member.

"Not really, but it sure as hell feels good to not be them," they had replied. "First round's on me when we get back to port!"

The day they had returned to port, most of the crew had ambushed the local pub with the promise of a guaranteed drink filling their heat affected minds. Of course, the fact that there was an event they were required to attend the following day, prevented many a man (and woman) from getting completely drunk.

And hence, the crew found themselves amongst the other navy men and women, sweating beneath their white uniform as they watched Commander Steve Marshall hand over the reins to Commander Maxine White.

"Did we really have to attend?" Spider asked quietly, shifting from foot to foot subtly. "It's too hot to be standing here."

"Pipe down!" the X cried softly through gritted teeth. "You have been in the navy long enough to know that there is no talking in squad."

"Sorry X," the young sailor muttered, his eyes threatening to roll into the back of his head if the ceremony didn't end soon.

Lucky for Spider, the ceremony ended the minute he decided he was going to faint. Finally being dismissed, he felt his knees buckle as he took his first step. Swain instantly stepped forward, catching the falling sailor before he could hit the ground.

"Get him some water!" he yelled, taking off Spider's lid and using it to fan him. "Geez Spide, you'd think you would have been able to wait until we were inside to faint," he added, taking the bottle of water from Nav and bringing it to young man's lips. "Drink."

The fallen sailor acquiesced to his request, sipping at the near frozen water. Coughing as the precious liquid came into contact with his throat, Spider forced himself to stand, Swain's hand following with the bottle.

"Careful Spide, you don't want to keel over again."

"Is everything all right here?" the X asked, side stepping other navy personnel and appearing in front of the fainting scene. "Are you feeling okay Spider?"

"Uh, just a bit hot Ma'am, but I think I'll live," Spider smiled weakly, taking the bottle from Swain and quickly taking another sip of water.

"Take it easy there mate," the medic instructed; then turning to his executive officer, added, "It's just a little dehydration – nothing a bit of shade and water can't fix. I recommend that he doesn't stay in the heat any longer though, just in case he faints again."

The X nodded. "Okay then. Swain, please take him back to Hammersley; I'll tell the CO what's happened and give your excuses to the Commander."

"Thanks X. Come on mate, we've got to get you out of that uniform before you get heatstroke too." Patting Spider on the back, Swain led the way back to Hammersley, constantly checking that his patient was okay and if he wanted any more water.

"Where are they off to?" The CO's voice broke through his X's thoughts, and when she turned, the body that accompanied the voice, was standing in front of her.

"Sir," she acknowledged, looking up to meet his gaze. "Swain's accompanying Spider back to the ship."

"I can see that Kate," he chuckled.

Kate flinched at her name falling from her captain's mouth (especially in such a public place) and gave a bitter smile. "Spider fainted. Swain's taking him back to the ship to rehydrate him and to keep him out of the sun. He said that if Spider stays in the sun any longer, he might get heatstroke."

Mike nodded in understanding, ending their conversation and starting another match of their infamous 'who can stay silent the longest' game. However, the bubbly navigator joined them; much to both party's relief.

"Commander Kno– uh, _White_, seems quite the character doesn't she?" Nav observed, eyeing the blonde woman on the other side of the crowd. "That's what I've heard from some of the other crew that is," she added.

"Yeah, she is," Mike replied, smiling as he spoke and casting his gaze towards the woman they were talking about.

"You've met her?" Kate asked stiffly.

"She's a good friend," he answered, looking back down at the other blonde in his life. "We were midshipman together at ADFA," he added, catching the brief look of question in her eyes.

"It sounds like you regard her highly," Nav stated, unknowing just how much Kate took her comment to heart.

Mike only smiled. Kate raised an eyebrow slightly, wondering how it was that such a woman could have him completely awestruck.

"You like her then?" she asked carefully, knowing that his answer would determine whether or not she would sleep restlessly or soundly that night.

He caught her gaze, holding onto it a moment longer than necessary before answering her question, "She's just a friend."

Kate breathed a short sigh of relief, before putting on a smile as the woman at the centre of their conversation (and Kate's _slight_ jealousy), escaped the crowd of people to greet them.

"Afternoon," she began, giving them all a polite smile. "It's good to see you all here. I hope it wasn't too much trouble."

"No trouble at all," Kate replied. "Although, it was a little much for one of our crew – he fainted. Our medic has taken him back to the ship for observation and rest. They both give their apologies about having to leave without congratulating you."

"No, that's fine. I hope your patient gets better soon."

"Thank you."

A pregnant pause followed their brief exchange of words.

"Well..." Nikki began, not knowing what to say next. It felt like that whatever she said, Kate would shoot her down – or if she was in a good mood, would berate her about it back on board Hammersley.

The three officers looked at her expectantly. Nikki smiled hesitantly, catching Kate's subtle change in expression. Looking back at the new commanding officer, she said the first thing that came to mind, "I have to check on the rest of the crew; we're back on patrol tomorrow, so I need to make sure that they're all ready."

"Of course," Commander White replied. "It was nice meeting you...?"

"Nikki Caetano."

"It was nice meeting you Lieutenant Caetano."

"Ma'am." She gave a quick salute before disappearing into the crowd and appearing on the other side, breathing a sigh of relief when she saw ET standing with the rest of the crew.

"Hey Nav," he greeted, throwing her one of his boyish smiles.

"Hey Nav," joined Buffer and Bomber.

"Hi," she returned.

"How's it going over there with Knocker?" ET asked.

"She's interesting," Nikki replied. "She seems nice, but I don't know... I think she has a thing for the CO."

Bomber raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think that?"

"I don't know. It could be the way that she keeps looking at the captain, _or_, the X's small little waves of jealousy. I don't know; which one do you think fits better?"

"I didn't think the X would ever be jealous. Practically everyone knows the CO has a thing for the X."

"You know we shouldn't be gossiping about the CO and X," commented RO, side stepping another sailor as they walked past the chatting group. "We could all get reprimanded for it if any officers find out."

"I thought you didn't gossip," Bomber replied, smirking.

"I don't."

"But you admitted just before."

"I didn't."

Charge scoffed. "You'll be fighting a losing battle if you keep arguing with her RO. She's got a fiery temper remember?"

Bomber shrugged, nudging the radio operator. "My temper won't stop him; he's stubborn, and his temper is probably twice as bad as mine."

The rest of the crew laughed while RO gave them all a cold look.

"Can I ask what's got you all in a good mood?" Kate's voice interrupted, breaking through the laughter and bringing it to a scattered halt.

"Just talking about last night X," Buffer answered quickly.

They all knew she didn't believe them, but they also knew that she wouldn't question them at that exact moment. Kate sighed irritably. Pulling her watch out from her pocket, she checked the time: _1442_.

"We need to get back to the ship. We're supposed to be going back on patrol tomorrow morning and we need to start loading all the supplies. Nav," Kate added, looking at the navigator. The brunette looked at her executive officer, waiting for further instruction. "Can you please get everyone back on board? I'll get the CO and give our apologies and thanks to Commander White."

"Aye Ma'am," Nikki replied, before turning on her heel and walking towards the ship, the rest of the crew following swiftly behind.

Watching as they disappeared through the crowd, Kate ran a hand across her face, rubbing away at the tiredness she felt. Turning on her heel in the opposite direction, she soon found herself, once again, in the company of both her commanding officers.

"X?" Mike asked, catching her determined expression. "What's up?"

"Sir, it's almost three," Kate started, not looking directly at him, but somewhere past his shoulder. "We need to be heading out tomorrow morning; that gives us exactly two and a half hours for us to load everything on the ship before everyone not on watch can go home for the night."

Mike pulled his watch from his pocket, catching the time before slipping it back in. Smiling at the commander, he said, "Sorry, but my XO is right. We've got to head out again, and with the restocking and checking on crew members, we'll need the time."

"I understand Mike," the commander replied.

Kate raised her eyebrows slightly at the commander's informality. Looking away, she tried not to listen to the rest of their exchange. But man's (and woman's) interest in needing to know everything, got the better of her. Kate liked to think it was only her interest in finding out how they interacted with each other, but the little voice in the back of her mind told her it was the jealousy she felt rearing its ugly head.

"It really is good to see you again, Mike, after so long," Maxine said.

"Likewise," Mike replied.

"Maybe we can catch up over dinner some time," she suggested. "Ryan's been wondering what happened to you," she added, not quite believe her own words, "He's been asking if you've forgotten about us or something."

Mike laughed too. "I don't think I could ever forget him," he answered. "I told him off for two years straight when he turned twelve and entering teenage hood. A tough two years that was."

"I'm sure he's grateful for your support."

"He needed it."

She smiled. "You're a good friend Mike."

Kate bit her lip at Maxine's tone of voice. She knew it well. She'd used it herself after all... Turning back to look at them both, she cleared her throat to interrupt any more exchanges they had.

"I'm sorry Sir, Ma'am, but we really need to get going. I've got to attend to the loading, and _you_, Sir, need to fill out that paperwork before tomorrow."

"Right; uh, Maxine, it's great seeing you again, but Kate's right–" Said woman cringed. "–I do have paperwork I need to finish before we leave."

"Ma'am," Kate smiled, saluting.

When Mike finally said goodbye, they fell into step as they walked back towards the ship.

"Is there something the matter, X?" Mike asked, frowning at Kate's unchanging facial expression. It was hard to describe, though if one were to really try describing the look, it was a cross between hatred, jealousy, determination and content.

"Nothing's wrong Sir," she answered, her tone quipped and straight to the point.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Somehow I don't believe you Kate."

Kate came to a sudden halt. Turning on her heel and facing him properly, she told him just exactly what was wrong, "For one, you've called me 'Kate' twice in public already, and two, we're late."

"That's all you're wound up about?"

"What else would I be 'wound up' about, as you like to put it?" She raised her eyebrows, waiting for answer.

"Jealous maybe?"

Kate's face paled. _The nerve of him!_ _How dare he even think–_ "And why would I be jealous? _Sir_?"

Mike winced at the emphasis on the word 'sir'. He didn't exactly like it when Kate did that; it usually implied that an argument was going to happen, and as per usual, he would end up being the wounded dog.

"Kate, I'm just–"

"You did it again, _Sir_. I would appreciate it if you do not use my name whilst still in the base; we're supposed to be professionals. Now, if you will excuse me, I have to supervise the loading."

"I–"

She gave him a final annoyed look before stalking off, reaching the ship almost in a heartbeat before stepping onto the gangway and saluting as she crossed.

Mike stood still, exactly where Kate had left him; somewhere within him, he felt something twist itself into knots. It was the same feeling he got every time he discovered something about his executive officer regarding their relationship. He'd always wondered if they would ever cross the line again; but her strict professionalism and often cold manner towards him, was an enormous flashing neon sign saying that that little dream would never hit off.

However, with the amount of times they had been thrown into each other's company, her manner softened; and very soon they were comfortable enough with each other not to continuously watch where each body part was touching, or to not play their favourite game of 'I can stay quiet the longest'. It really was a triumph considering their past; but with the amount of unresolved tension between them, there was bound to be an avalanche on their newfound bumpy but smooth pathway.

It was unfortunate that that avalanche had decided to fall onto their path on that particular day. With another week long voyage looming on the horizon, cranky Kate was not something he needed to deal with. And the discovery that she was _jealous_, was also not a fact that he needed to know about at that specific time. She would be difficult to deal with – she always was when she was in one of those 'moods'. He had the experience and memories to prove it.

Sighing in defeat, he ran a hand across his face. Looking back up at the Hammersley – his pride and joy – he felt his feet begin to move again. It wasn't long before he found himself sitting at his desk, in his cabin, on his ship, having been lead there by some invisible force he couldn't quite determine.

Reaching out to one of his filing cabinets, he pulled out one in particular. Flipping the manila folder open, a document and photo stared up at him. In the corner _her_ name sat: Kate McGregor. Her photo, one taken when she was younger and had probably just been promoted, was attached in the other corner with the help of a paperclip. Mike smiled at the photo. Not much had changed since it had been taken, but there was still the slightest hint of a girl in there.

"Excuse me Sir, but you're requested in the ComCen." It was _her_ voice. There was no mistaking it really. It was unique, just like the woman herself.

He snapped the file closed quickly, before returning it to its place in the cabinet and turning to face his stony-faced X.

"Yes?"

"RO needs you in the ComCen, _Sir_," she repeated, her jaw set and eyes glaring at him. "Might I ask what you were doing reading my file?" she added, gesturing toward the closed cabinet.

"Nothing X, just looking for a few files; I must've pulled the wrong one out," he added, smiling quickly to hide his lie. Of course she didn't buy a word of it.

She rolled her eyes. "I doubt that Sir."

"Do you?"

"Yeah." Her voice had lilted slightly. That was a good sign. For Mike at least.

"I suppose you're right X," he answered, "I was looking at your file–" She raised an eyebrow in question. "–reminding myself _how_ exactly we've managed to make it work."

"Pfft, excellent cover-up," she retorted, leaning against the doorway. "And might I ask _how_ we've managed"

"Commander Marshall asked me to give you a go," he simply replied, pulling out the file again and handing Kate the document of transfer.

Kate's eyes scanned the document, before halting at the postscript at the end. Smiling, she handed it back to Mike, who left it on his desk.

"I'm surprised you listened to him," she said.

"You'd be surprised about a lot of things, Kate." This time, she didn't wince. "I may have a reputation amongst some navy personnel for being a bit of a 'cowboy', but I do listen to good instructions when I see them."

"Hmm. Well, perhaps you should listen to good instructions now: Robert needs you in the ComCen. Sir," she added as she left.

Mike smirked, filing Kate's file away again. Pausing upon noticing another object – not a document – he picked it up and examined it. Smiling broadly, he recognised the familiar faces and contented smiles. It was the same photo he had stored away for safe keeping before Kate had stepped on board. Funny the way things came back to him.

"Sir. ComCen. Now!" Kate called, as she passed his cabin again.

He laughed, setting the photo frame on his desk (in the corner behind a stack of paperwork so no-one would see it) and got to his feet and took Kate's grand advice to listen to some rather good instructions.

_Very_ funny the way things came back to him.

* * *

**A/N: **Well, here it is, the very first chapter of You, Me and the Navy. Ah, I feel so excited to finally be posting this! Anyway, I just wanted to thank you all for the kind comments, it is much appreciated. Hopefully that you all enjoyed this part (I know I had a ball writing it at two o'clock in the morning :P), and don't forget to please leave a comment on your way out!


	3. Chapter 2: The Unexpected Things

Of all the rooms onboard Hammersley, the ComCen was always the one place Mike didn't feel completely comfortable in. Everything about the room was the same as any other onboard: the walls were the same, so was the floor and door; but there was one little thing that made it completely different from any other room:

Leading Seaman Robert J Dixon.

The ComCen, in his own mind was _his _territory, and anyone entering it was an invader. Anyone meant everyone, including the rest of the crew; and it didn't matter whether you were the Swain or even the CO, you abided by _his _rules. If you wanted to make a phone call, you stuck to a schedule; if you wanted to send an email, you stuck to a schedule.

People didn't mind the organisation that Robert put in to his job, it was just the way he... enforced it. That was the problem about the radio operator – and it had often been questioned by both the commanding officer and executive. More than once in fact. His complete lack of social abilities, even though his job required it, was something that most of the crew had pondered about at one point or other.

Now walking towards the ComCen, Mike mentally prepared himself for Robert's odd way of socialising. It did dawn on him that maybe if he could just find a girl, the RO would relax, if only a little; but with his inability to socialise, it seemed a dim predicament.

Knocking on the door (as everyone was accustomed), he waited for Robert's piqued, "Yep?"

It came in less than a second and the door swung open, revealing the brunette male to be sitting at his desk, going through emails and other documents. When he looked up to see who had knocked, his eyebrows were raised, but upon seeing the CO standing in the doorway, his manners slipped and the first thing out of his mouth was:

"It's been ten minutes since I asked the XO to get you, Sir."

"Uh, sorry Robert; I had to attend to something first," he answered carefully, slipping into the room without closing the door. "Why was I called in?"

Robert gave Mike one last questioning look, before grabbing a piece of paper sitting beside the computer.

"This email came through for you from Commander White."

Mike raised an eyebrow, taking the document with a small 'thanks'. Sitting down in one of the other chairs provided, his eyes scanned over the document. _Crap_, he thought.

A small laugh came from the doorway and he looked up to see Kate standing there.

"I see he's finally found you," she observed, nodding in Mike's direction. "I thought he'd never make it."

"He came in ten minutes after I asked you to get him," Robert replied, not looking up, having gone back to his previous occupation. "If you want privacy to discuss anything, you'll have to find somewhere else. I'm busy and I need the ComCen."

Kate raised an eyebrow in the leader's direction, before turning her gaze on Mike, whose current expression begged her to question what was wrong. His only reply was to say they would move to his cabin in an attempt to not disrupt the RO – which of course they still did.

Once they had shifted rooms, Mike took up residence in his desk chair, whilst Kate sat on his rack. The door was shut, and silence consumed them. A few moments had passed (with constant looks at the other from both parties) until Kate finally asked what information the email contained.

Mike shrugged, folding the printed document and filing it away with everything else. It must've been extremely private if the executive officer didn't get to read it. Not that she minded of course.

"Commander White has just informed me of my immediate promotion," Mike said slowly.

Kate eyes widened in surprise. Of all the things she had imagined the email to contain, _that_ bit of news had not been one of them. Frowning briefly, she opened her mouth to speak, but closed it upon further thought.

"Will you be accepting?" she finally asked, having gathered her thoughts and formed a coherent sentence. "I know you haven't exactly thought about promotion – you've more or less just brushed it aside, but now... Will you accept it?"

Mike shrugged again, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I'm not exactly looking for a promotion; I'd rather stay CO of a patrol boat. And you know as well as anyone that commanders aren't usually commanding officers of patrol boats."

"Do you know why you've been promoted?" She was still reeling from shock, and all the questions she wanted to asked were plagued with thoughts of _when_ he would leave, _if_ he would leave, _what_ would she do without him again and _how_ would she cope.

"No idea. I know Marshall wanted me promoted – tried hard to get me to fill in the request forms, but I _lost _them on several occasions," he added, a smirk forming on his lips.

Kate smiled, recalling one such moment two years previous when Marshall had visited Mike in the hospital – a result of bad politics, a car explosion and shrapnel to the leg. She had been worried then, she did admit it; and for the first time in seven years, crossed the line between professionalism and fraternisation and held his hand for what seemed like an eternity. Kate sighed at the memory, not noticing Mike's concerned look from across the room.

"Something the matter Kate?" he asked.

"It's going to be different without you as CO," she answered, not looking up to meet his gaze.

"Who said I was leaving?"

"Well, I presume–"

"You shouldn't presume anything, Kate," he interrupted swiftly. "If you presume too much in life you won't get the full enjoyment of it at the end."

"I was just saying–"

"You need to go back to supervising the loading," he snapped, ending their discussion.

Kate didn't move from his rack, instead waiting a moment longer before she attempted to leave. Setting her jaw, she rose to her feet without so much as a sigh.

"_Sir_," she finalised, moving towards the door and yanking it open. Stopping briefly in the doorway, she turned her head and caught his eye. "Since you're so passionate about presumption, don't you, Sir, presume that I won't find it hard if you leave." And with a finalising slam of the door, she departed.

Her presence lingered in his cabin. He could still smell her scent and picture her sitting on his rack, hear her strong but delicate voice as they discussed his promotion. _Promotion._.. The word felt foreign upon his tongue. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate it, but it was more or less, like Kate had stated, that he didn't _want_ the promotion. He loved where he was in his career, and although the money he would get if he were to accept his new rank was rather appealing, it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted to stay on the Hammersley. He wanted to stay with his crew, his friends. And dare he say it, he wanted to stay with Kate.

_Argh_. He had snapped at Kate. It wasn't often that he did; usually it was the other way around. Closing his eyes in frustration, he let out a sigh and opened them again. Why did it have to be so difficult? Why couldn't the brass just accept that he didn't want to get promoted and that they should stop wasting their time on trying so damn hard? The constancy was frustrating to no end. They were better off promoting someone like the Nav, or even Kate; though if one were to ask him, he'd rather not see the latter woman promoted and then taken of his ship.

Rapping his fingers against the wood of his desk, he thought of what he was going to do, if he was going to accept or not. What if he did though? Where would he be posted? NavCom? He sneered. He hated offices and constantly sitting behind a desk. Like he had said once, he'd rather not be driving a desk. But what about a frigate? He supposed he didn't mind the luxury of the larger ships, but the lack of closeness between crew members and lack of directness when navigating wasn't exactly appealing.

Well, at least he had until next shore leave to decide. It wasn't long, but it would be long enough, right? Coming to that conclusion, he pulled out a pen and turned his attention to the awaiting paperwork. He cringed at the pile. If he did accept the promotion and moved into NavCom, paperwork would be inevitable.

And there was nothing he hated more than paperwork.

"Uh, Robert?"

The RO looked up, once again, from the computer screen, a scowl in place, ready to tell off whoever had the nerve to interrupt him. But upon seeing the ship's fiery chef standing in the doorway, his scowl slipped and a small smile fell into place.

"Yep?" he asked, turning in his seat to face her properly.

"Did you see where Jessica got to? I've practically looked over the entire ship, but I haven't found her. We're supposed to be catching a movie together," she added, catching Robert's raised eyebrow.

"You checked everywhere on the ship but you still can't find her?" he repeated, assessing the words and not quite believing them.

"Duh; if I'd found her, I wouldn't be asking you if you knew where she was." Bomber leaned against the doorframe, folding her arms and resting them against her chest. "Look, if you've seen her, can you just tell me? Stop playing mind games."

Robert shrugged, replying, "Did you check the wardroom?"

For a moment he thought she had stopped breathing. Her face had paled somewhat and it made him wonder if the chef was having a fit or something.

"Is something wrong?" he inquired, standing up just in case she decided to faint. Reaching his hands out, he placed them on her shoulders as if to steady her even though she was leaning against the doorframe.

"Damn," she suddenly said.

Unwavering, Robert removed his hands and sat back down, returning to his previous occupation.

"Don't tell me," he observed, not looking back at her, "You didn't check in there."

Bomber frowned, straightening her posture. "Sheesh RO, no need to be so cocky."

"_That _was not cocky," he replied, looking up and noticing her pointed gaze. "What?" he asked.

"RO, your entire personality is cocky."

It was with that final statement that she left, following the corridors down to where the wardroom was, where RO presumed the new gap year student had taken up residence. Drawing an intake of breath, he continued on with his work, only stopping briefly to check emails when they popped up.

When at last he finished his work, he decided it was time that he find something else to do. Perhaps go home? _Pfft._ What was he going to do there? It wasn't as if he had someone to go home to; no family, no girl. Slumping in his chair, he stared at the computer screen, thinking of what he could do. Coming across nothing in particular, his thoughts immediately went to the conversation he had had with Bomber.

Cocky... _Humph_. He wasn't cocky – far from it in his opinion. If one were to ask him what his opinion of himself was, the words he would've chosen would've been: serious, studious and free. _Not_ in the way that some people would think though, but more or less in the sense that he was _free_. Free to do what he wanted with his life without his father beating the crap out of him because he disapproved of his son's choice.

It made him cringe to think of what his father used to do when he disapproved of his son's choices. And even though his old man had been gone three years next week, it still scared the hell out of him to be thinking of Gerald Dixon. That man, to him, was hell itself. The treatment he had copped had been horrific – much to the extent that he had been afraid to sleep at night, just in case his good-for-nothing, _drunk_ excuse for a father came wandering in, belt in hand.

A sudden chill ran through his body, and he reflexively glanced around the room, almost expecting to see his father standing somewhere within it. When he saw that there was no-one but him, he took a shaky breath and stood up. Slipping through the open doorway, he escaped up to the bridge, where only a few people, including Spider, were seated.

Going over to his assigned desk, he asked his assistant (who had been occupying the seat) to go down to the ComCen and continue with his work there.

"Mean of you to send him down like that RO," Spider observed, his eyes following the other sailor as he disappeared through the door.

"It's my desk."

"So?"

"Don't you have somewhere else to be?" he snapped, sitting down in the now empty chair.

"I'm on watch."

"Then keep watching."

Spider rolled his eyes at the snappish leader and returned to what he had been doing – staring out the bridge window and watching the loading.

Robert sighed softly, reaching for his Sudoku book and pulling out a pencil. Flipping to a random page, he began filling it out with no more thoughts of his father crossing his mind. That was how he stayed until night came, when he put both his book and pencil away; bid the watch goodnight (now having changed over to Buffer and another young sailor known as Devon) and proceed below decks with the intention of going to bed.

Kate needed to vent. Fast. Before she completely exploded and did something stupid like call Mike up and tell him it was over, even though they weren't in a relationship. Cursing beneath her breath, she parked her car in the street and got out, accidentally slamming the door. Stalking across the road and towards the front of the house, she brought a fist to the door and knocked, reading the name of the cheap wine she had brought with her.

When the door opened, Kate's angered expression was still in place, causing the person inside the house to give her a sympathetic smile.

"What'd he do this time?" Nikki asked, opening the door wider to allow Kate to enter.

Her nostrils flared and she stormed past the brunette who shut the door softly, falling upon the black leather couch, her rant already starting. Nikki just nodded and "mmhmm-ed" in the appropriate places, all whilst rummaging in her cupboard for her emergency chocolate and wine glasses.

Setting the objects on the coffee table, she sat beside Kate on the couch and opened the wine, pouring each of them a generous amount.

"And what's worse is," Kate rambled, "is that he hasn't even thought about _us_. I mean, if he was to accept the promotion, he'd be most likely off the boat and we could _do_ something about all this unresolved tension between us. But no, he's still _thinking_ about it, that is, he's not going to take it."

"Well, let's be reasonable Kate," Nikki said gently, handing Kate her wine glass. "You know Mike loves the Hammersley and would do anything to stay on her for as long as possible, _including_ not accepting a promotion. But you also know that he has a thing for you (hell, the whole crew know he has a thing for you), and that he would want to be able to act upon that. Remember he's the sort of man who doesn't really care what other people think, but he's also unpredictable. One moment he might not want the promotion and the next, he might take it."

"He would never give up Hammersley," Kate stated matter-of-factly. "And... I don't even know if I want him to take the promotion anymore..."

"Don't worry Kate," Nikki smiled softly, "I'm sure that whatever he decides, it'll all work out in the end. Even if he doesn't accept the promotion, I'm sure that he'll find a way to be able to be with you somehow." She laughed suddenly, adding, "I'm surprised you two haven't already begun _secretly_ dating."

Kate broke into a small smile. "Pfft, we're sticklers for rules remember? We're not like you and ET, although I wouldn't exactly call your relationship a secret anymore – the entire crew know about you two. Which reminds me: you know one of you will have to leave the ship if you want to continue being together."

"Yeah, I know..."

"Sorry Nik, but that's the rules."

"Unfortunately," she murmured, sipping at her wine and lying back against the couch.

It had become a sort of ritual for the two female officers. Each knew about the other's significant other (even though in Kate's case, the significant other was more or less, _in_significant), and when the times of hardship in the relationship became too much, the person at the end of the venting line went to the other to rant. They didn't mind their little arrangement; it provided them with a secure place and a person to talk (yell) to.

Most of the time, even despite the anger they harboured towards the person they were angry with (in all cases, usually being ET for Nikki and Mike for Kate), they seemed to have a good time – once the ranting was over of course. No, when the yelling was _finally_ over, they would turn on the television set, and watch the soppiest love movie that Nikki owned, all whilst drinking glasses of wine and eating bars of chocolate (in between the crying).

"The Notebook?" Nikki asked, after a moment or two of silence.

"Sure, why not? There's nothing I've got better to do unless I want to go back to the ship and do paperwork..." Kate replied sarcastically.

"True. But remember Kate, _one_ glass of wine tonight – you need to be sober enough to drive home when the movie's over."

"Yeah, yeah." She sipped at her half full wine glass and reached over to the coffee table, grabbing the chocolate sitting there. "If I can't OD on wine, I'll OD on chocolate instead," she stated, breaking a piece and putting it in her mouth.

She sighed as the sweet taste of cocoa filled her senses and flopped back on the couch, allowing for the brown block to dissolve into thick, sticky liquid against her tongue. Combined with the bitter taste of red wine, it made for a splendid combination, causing a warm, fluffy feeling to set itself up in the pit of her stomach.

"You better not throw up," Nikki observed, just as the opening theme started to ring out around the living room. It was a warming tune, though a little sad in parts, and had at one point, been at the centre of both officers' fascination. 'The love theme of life' they had dubbed it, until they heard the _PM's Love Theme_ from _Love Actually_ and dubbed that the love theme of life.

The two women watched the movie in silence, allowing themselves to get caught up in the moments of sweeping love melodies, heartbreaking farewells and classic lines of, _"I waited for you!"_ There were tears and laughter, and even though sobbing was a definite thing during the ending, they came away from the movie happier than before.

When the closing theme came to its descent and the credits began their final roll, Kate and Nikki leaned back into the couch and yawned. Rubbing their eyes and covering their mouths, they both stood up simultaneously and stretched.

"What time is it?" Kate asked between yawns.

Nikki glanced up at the wall, and said, "It's about half past eleven."

Kate groaned. "I'd better get going then." She bent down to put on her shoes before going into the hallway and pulling open the front door. Checking to see that she had everything, she turned to say goodbye to Nikki who had followed her from the living room.

"Thanks for listening Nik," she smiled, stepping across the threshold.

"Anytime," Nikki replied, before waving Kate off and shutting the door firmly behind her.

Walking across the road to where her car was parked, Kate shivered against the cold. Shoving her hands into her pockets, she felt the smooth metal of her mobile and the unevenness of her keys. Getting into her car, she pulled out her phone to check for any missed calls or messages. Seeing one new text message, she clicked 'open' and read it, suppressing the urge to slam the horn down at the sender's name.

From: Mike Flynn  
0423332838

"Kate, I just wanted to apologise for snapping at you earlier on the ship. I wasn't thinking straight. I was shocked at the news of being promoted without asking or having filled out the request papers. I'll see you tomorrow on the ship and hopefully we can talk then. Have a good night."

Received:  
23:30:28  
09/01/2010

Kate read the text over and over, her eyes always drifting to the 'reply' option afterwards. Her fingers hovered above the button to reply, but upon extra thought, she closed the text and slipped the phone back into her pocket, put the key into the ignition and drove home.

What she found at her front door, was something quite unexpected. At the foot of the door, lay a single white rose, a note lying beside it in what seemed to be Mike's messy script. Swallowing what saliva she had left, she bent down to pick up the objects. She cradled the rose in her hand gently, smelling its sweet scent upon her nose, before directing her attention to the note:

"Surprise!

Bet you didn't expect to see this here. I was going to give you this rose personally as a sign of an apology, but when I knocked on your door and you didn't answer, I decided a note would be a sufficient enough explanation instead of me sitting out here in the cold until you came home – which I still did, up until half past eleven; when I instead sent you a text message and wrote this note, just in case you didn't get my SMS.

Like I said before in my text, I'm sorry, Kate. I didn't mean to get you angry the way I did, but in my defence I'll repeat again: the shock of being promoted and not knowing what to do about it scared me. But I've been doing a little thinking, and I've decided what I'm going to do.

Tomorrow brings a new day, and with it new beginnings. Hopefully we can start afresh again.

Until then,

Yours, Mike."

_Yours. _Maybe she was reading into that final statement a little too much, but how many other people did he use 'yours' to sign off with? The realisation of it all made her gasp. What if he had decided to accept the promotion? What would they do? The crew would feel completely lost without him as their CO! And then who would replace him? She shook her head to rid herself of the thoughts.

But then, what would _she_ do? After so long on the same boat and within touching distance of each almost every single day, how would she cope with having to lose him again? She sighed irritably, almost shoving her key into the lock and turning.

Once having found herself on the couch again, she stared openly at the note in her hand, the rose on the table and the photograph that sat beside it. There weren't many people who knew of that photograph, particularly because hardly anyone came around to her house, and when someone did, the picture was moved to her bedside table for safe keeping.

Kate observed that they had both been genuinely happy when the photograph had been taken. The moments leading up to it had been amusing albeit a little worrying though, when someone they both knew from HMAS Watson had entered the pub they'd been eating at. Both had held their breath in anticipation of being found out; but when a local had asked if they wanted their picture taken for only a few dollars, they'd both immediately agreed, paying their fee and waiting for their picture to be taken.

It had been an unexpected photograph. The photographer had asked them to continue how they were and then added that he would be back later on to take their photo, assuring them that he wasn't going to rip them off.

The man returned almost half an hour later, though neither of them had seen him taking the photograph. They had been smiling at each other for almost all the time the photographer had been gone, passing secret looks before Mike finally leaned in to kiss her on the lips.

That moment, was the moment the man had chosen to freeze in time with the simple click of a button.

And now, almost eight years since it had been taken, that photograph held a place in each framed person's mind and heart. And although the subjects of the happy picture didn't quite get to boast that moment in time, they at least held some memories of that once happy ending.

* * *

**A/N: **LOL, the mobile number made up and used near the end of the fic has a hidden little meaning to it. Can any of you guys try and figure out what the numbers mean/stand for? Here's a clue: it's symbolic to MK.


	4. Chapter 3: A Misinterpretation of Words

A new sunrise dawned over HMAS Cairns, bringing with it a new day and an opportunity for new beginnings. It was almost half past six when the pink and yellows hues of the sun's rays rose above the horizon, taking its own sweet time to rise high enough into the sky so that the warm morning colours could hit everything in sight – including the infamous HMAS Hammersley.

When the sunlight hit, it hit hard, thus causing one grumpy electronics technician to jerk awake and fall from the captain's chair with an almighty crash. Lying on his stomach, ET glanced around at his surroundings, his eyes in a painful squinting position as the sunlight lay squarely in his line of sight.

"Uh, are you okay?" a young able seaman called Chook asked, raising her eyebrows at the tired man on the floor.

ET groaned in response, lifting his head with a tired expression. "What time is it?" he asked, his voice muffled.

"Just after 0630," the young able answered, leaning back in her chair and yawning. "You do realise that you fell asleep on watch," she added, regaining her stance and sitting up properly in her chair.

"Really?" He looked up tiredly to observe the younger sailor's expression.

She nodded casually, gesturing towards him. "Hence the floor."

He groaned again, putting his palms flat on the ground and pushing himself up, holding the position before jumping to stand. "We've got one and half hours 'till we finish watch don't we?" he yawned, stretching to his full height.

"Yep."

"_Great_."

"Something wrong?"

"I'm tired, and I'm hungry," he answered, sitting back down in the captain's chair. Averting his eyes out towards the horizon, he watched as the sun continued to make its slow ascent into the sky.

"Do you want me to make you a brew then?" Chook asked, not getting up from her chair, instead continuing to lie back casually, her own cup of coffee in her hands.

"Yeah, that'd be great Chook."

She scoffed in reply. "Like hell I will. Get off your arse and make it yourself – it'll do you some good to get out of that chair; may even stop you from falling asleep again when you get back."

ET gave an inaudible reply, before standing and making his way for the door. "Will you be okay up here while I'm gone? Or will there be a fire and a robbery that I'll be getting into trouble for?" he asked, a playful smile on his face whilst his hand hovered over the doorknob, ready to turn.

"Just get your coffee," she retorted, rolling her eyes when she heard the door click shut, signalling the leader's exit. Smiling at the new found silence, she leaned back in her chair and watched as life started to begin its early morning rise from sleep.

She hated getting up early on shore leave. But then again, so did every other crew member aboard Hammersley. Stretching beneath the covers of her bed, she snuggled closer to her pillow, eyes drooping shut as the comfort of home got to her. It was short lived however when her ringtone began playing out loud and proud, well, maybe more loudly.

Groaning, she reached out to her bedside table and felt around for her phone. Coming across the contraption, she flipped it open and brought it to her ear.

"Rebecca Brown speaking," she greeted, her voice coming out croaky with sleep.

"Uh, Bomber?" asked the voice on the other end.

Her eyes shot open in surprise. "Spider?" she yelled, pulling the doona closer in a self conscious manner. "What the hell are you calling me at seven in the morning for?"

"Got something to tell you," he replied casually.

"What requires you to call me at _seven in the morning_?" She was getting irritable, causing the fiery temper she was known for to start shooting sparks. "Please tell me it isn't something stupid like you stole ET's jocks and hung them from the flagpole."

"What? No," he mumbled dejectedly.

"Then what is it?"

"The X asked me to call you."

She shot up instantly, wondering what the hell was wrong if Spider was calling on behalf of the executive officer. "What happened?" she asked, already stumbling out of bed and heading towards the bathroom.

"All she said was: you need to be here by eight. Something weird's happened," he added.

"Like what?" she demanded, reaching for her toothbrush and preparing to brush her teeth.

"The CO's been promoted to commander," Spider spilled.

Bec's eyes widened in shock. "What?" she cried, almost spitting out all the toothpaste. Gagging as she held it in, she spat into the sink, rinsed her mouth and wiped any excess toothpaste away. "You had better be kidding," she warned, quite serious in her tone. Since when did the CO – world renownedHammersley lover and in general patrol boat enthusiast – get a promotion and thus leave him in a position where he was driving a desk? It was completely unheard of!

"I'm not kidding," he replied, not a dash of the usual playfulness in his tone. "You should've seen the X; she went off like crazy when he announced it."

"Oh God..." she breathed, thinking his words over. Taking in her reflection, she observed she had become visibly paler. "Uh, Spider, I've got to go – I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Bring protection," he advised, cringing as his XO's voice rose. "It's like a warzone here..."

"Will do; see you soon," she finished, ending the phone call and throwing her mobile on her bed. Returning to the bathroom, she had a quick shower before changing into her uniform. Giving her hair a quick brush, she packed her bag and then left her apartment, toast and car keys in hand.

There were absolutely no words to describe how the crew felt at that particular moment in time. Having just been told that their CO, their captain, their _leader_, was accepting promotion and opting for a shore posting, it was unsurprising that words had escaped them all.

Except Kate.

The moment Mike had opened his mouth and said the words: promotion, accepted, shore posting and new CO, Kate had immediately asked to speak to him in his soon to be old cabin. The rest of the crew, having been sent off to continue with their duties, could hear their rising voices from almost every part of the ship, though they knew that the door had been closed for at least _some_ privacy.

It was to be expected though; what with everyone knowing how highly Kate _thought_ of the CO. But if one were to ask the crew, they seemed to believe that whatever the X was saying was also said on their behalf.

"How could you?" Kate cried the moment the door had been shut. Her tone was accusing, though the slightest bit of hurt could be heard if one were to listen carefully.

"How could I what?" he replied calmly, eyeing the angry woman across from him. Sitting in his desk chair, they took up the same positions that they had taken up almost twenty-four hours before: she sitting on his rack, glaring at him frustratingly, whilst he remained as calm as he could be when Kate was shouting at the top of her lungs.

"How could you contradict yourself by accepting the promotion and getting a _shore _posting, when yesterday you clearly said that you would _never_ give up Hammersley unless your life depended on it? What in the past twenty-four hours made you want to turn your back on the whole crew and a position you love without even thinking it over properly?"

Mike frowned at her argument, opening his mouth to voice his reply before closing it upon further thought. Had he missed something? Didn't she mention something about _them_ yesterday when she had _assumed_ that he was accepting the promotion? Hadn't he told her (in the form of a rose) that he would be accepting it? Wasn't it just a _little_ bit obvious what he would do? Clearly not in Kate's case.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Kate," he started, lowering his voice so that the crew beyond the four walls they were inside wouldn't hear him (unless they pinned their ears against the door of course). "You said yesterday to _take_ the promotion, not pass it up."

"I thought you wouldn't be accepting it!" she retorted through clenched teeth. "You hardly ever consider my advice, so why are you starting now?"

"Because a woman once told me to take leaps and opportunities," he answered softly, catching her gaze and holding it. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips momentarily before disappearing behind her façade, and she sighed, looking away from him.

"So it's 'goodbye' in one respect?" she finally asked, though the way she said it made it sound more of a statement rather than a question. Looking up to meet his gaze, she watched a string of emotions play upon his face, starting with sadness before ending with something that could be called regret.

"It's not 'goodbye' Kate," he replied, his voice gentle, though sadness was evident in his expression, "It's just... 'See you later'."

Kate nodded solemnly, moving to stand before looking over her shoulder as she reached the door. "You'll be missed you know. By everyone. By me especially. I'll miss the arguments," she added, laughing. And then without allowing him the time to respond, she was up on the bridge and calling for everyone to make ready for their next (and last in Mike's case) patrol.

Mike sat dejectedly in his chair, going over every small detail of the conversation he had just had with Kate. The look in her eyes when she had finally accepted that he would be taking the promotion... _What the hell was that?_ His breathing had become heavy with each thought he remembered; with each moment that seemed to flash before his eyes like he was about to die, there seemed to be an increase in oxygen intake. And it wasn't because he needed it.

Reaching for the photograph he'd hidden behind his pile of paperwork, he regained his regular intake of air and looked at the picture in his hand. Cursing himself for having made a rash decision, he placed the photo back down (and in plain view for everyone to see; but rules be damned, he'd be off in a week).

A knock on the door, accompanied by a hesitant "Excuse me Sir" broke through his thoughts, and he turned to see the new gap-girl standing in the doorway of his cabin.

"Jessica," he acknowledged, gesturing for her to come inside.

She shook her head, opting to stand in the doorway. Her eyes widened slightly as she glanced the photo of him and the X on his desk. Diverting her eyes, she met Mike's gaze and relayed the message the same woman that was in the photograph had asked her to deliver.

"Sir, you've been requested on the bridge by the XO."

"Okay; thank you." He nodded as she left, and ran a hand across his face. Standing with a huff, he took one last look (taking a moment to smile of course) before exiting his cabin, the door shutting firmly behind him.

"So it's true then?" Bomber asked, leaning back against one of the galley's benches whilst sharpening her knives. "The CO is seriously leaving."

Charge nodded solemnly. "Never thought I'd live to see the day that Mike Flynn would give up Hammersley," he stated, shaking his head. "When I first met him on the old girl, the guy was adamant he'd be on her again after he left; vowed that he'd never leave her again if he could help it too."

"And now he's gone and broken that vow?" Gap-Girl wondered out loud. "Why'd he do that?"

"The love of a woman," ET stated.

The people who occupied the galley looked at him.

"What?" he asked.

"The love of a woman?" Gap-Girl repeated. "Who and what are you talking about?"

ET raised an eyebrow, a blank expression gracing his boyish looks. "You're not seriously saying that are you?"

"The X," Nikki smiled, helping the young seaman out.

Gap-Girl frowned, realisation dawning her as her mind flashed back to the photograph sitting on his desk. "But wouldn't that be fraternisation?" she asked.

Everyone looked at her, only mildly amused at her question. Nikki shrugged on behalf of them all, answering her question, "Everyone onboard tends to cast a blind eye on that sort of thing. Nobody – well, maybe except the brass (not that they actually know anything of course) cares what goes on – just as long as you don't try anything onboard. And if something is going on, it doesn't leave the ship. We're a very tight knit group you see."

"So the CO has a thing for the X?"

Nikki nodded. "Three years of tension and eyeball hockey," she replied. "Not that they'd ever do anything about it of course. They're sticklers for rules as the X so eloquently put it."

"And the captain would give anything up to be with her?"

"Even Hammersley?" Spider asked, joining in on the conversation.

"Well he's done it hasn't he?" ET answered, moving out of the galley doorway so that Nikki could move past.

"He must have fallen for her hard if he's given the ship up," Bomber commented, putting away her last knife and crossing her arms across her chest. "It doesn't seem like him to make brash decisions like these without sufficient explanation too. Even if it was for the X, he'd have another reason as well wouldn't he? He'd never tell the X the reason he's leaving is because of her."

"I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he's told her," Charge replied, frowning in thought. "_If_ that's the reason he's leaving."

"Well, we can speculate all we want, the CO is still leaving," ET finalised.

"He might come back though," Spider added, hopeful in his tone. "There's some other guy whose rank is commander, and _he_'s a CO of a patrol boat."

"That's wishful thinking Spide," Buffer answered, having overheard their conversation as he'd passed the galley. "You five might want to stop gossiping and get back to work soon," he added. "This is the CO's final patrol with Hammersley before he's locked up at NavCom, so make it a good one."

"Aye Buffer," they chorused quietly, the solemn mood having set back in at the mention of 'final patrol'.

"_Special sea duty men close up,"_ the X's voice announced over the PA system, breaking the silence.

The present crew members sighed and they all drifted over towards the exit to go to their respective stations. With the galley now empty, all that was left really was to wait out the next week, and see what new horizons would bring to the saddened crew.

Up on the bridge, it too was a saddened affair. With Swain waiting patiently at the helm, Nikki at her charts and Kate pacing back and forth across the vacant space, the sight to which Mike entered was a tad disturbing – and quiet.

"Gap-girl told me you requested me to the bridge?" he asked, his tone of voice not showing any increase or decrease in emotion.

Kate ceased her pacing, and turned to face him. "Yes."

"Then what is it X?" he pressed gently, waiting for her to answer.

"Sir?" she replied. "Would you like to take her out?"

Mike would've stopped breathing if it weren't for the look that Kate was giving him. So lost and innocent, she looked like a young child asking her mummy if daddy really was gone. Giving her a smile, he looked around at the bridge. They were all looking at him expectantly. This was going to be his last patrol on Hammersley, and they knew it. He knew it. And his XO, his Kate, was giving him the opportunity to let him leave on a good note.

Looking back at her, he nodded. "I'd like that."

* * *

**A/N: **So I've gone back on my word and haven't posted every two weeks... Sorry about that. However, school, homework and studying are far more important at this moment, so for future reference, that's the reason I won't be posting as regularly as I would hope to. Moving along, I hope you enjoyed this part.


	5. Chapter 4: Shore Leave Events

God promised another day, and he delivered. He promised a week, and it was there. God promised more to come, and boy was there more. Too much more perhaps. Mike groaned in frustration, throwing down his pen and leaning back far in his chair. Rubbing at his eyes with a tired hand, he spun his chair to look out the window. The view his office provided him with was that of the naval dock and the ships it berthed. He had to admit, it was a good sight. In a way, it helped to sooth the emotions that seemed to continuously run rampant through his body since he began driving his desk two weeks ago.

Shifting his thoughts over to other things and away from his rampant emotions, he settled them on a certain blonde he knew. Smiling as he looked through the adjoining window into the office beside his, his smile grew, noticing the blonde talking with a lieutenant. When she turned and saw him looking, she returned the smile, bidding the lieutenant goodbye, she followed her out and entered his office.

"Mike," she started, standing in the doorway.

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"How do you like your new office?" she asked, crossing the threshold and sitting in one of the chairs provided. "Quite a view isn't it?"

He ran a hand through his hair, taking another glance out the window to take in the view beyond. Noticing a familiar sight, an excited jolt ran through him as his baby – uh, scratch that, _just_ Hammersley, sailed into port.

"Quite a view isn't it?" she repeated, following Mike's gaze.

"Yeah... Great view..." His voice trailed off as he continued to watch the Hammersley dock, all current thoughts drifting with the wind and ending with his girl in port. Well, _two_ girls in port.

"I'm going to get some air," he stated suddenly, looking away from the window for only a moment to address his company.

"Don't be long," she replied, standing.

Mike gave her a smile. "I can't promise you that Maxine," he returned, before reaching for his hat and exiting his office, almost running through NavCom and down to the docks to meet the Hammersley's crew as she docked.

Two weeks had felt like a lifetime for the crew members aboard HMAS Hammersley, not that the lack of action really helped their case. Most of the patrol – according to most members – had felt like sitting behind a desk and studying for the next up and coming exam. And now that they were docking – with three days of shore leave mind – there was talk among a lot of the crew that a trip to the pub was in order the moment they docked.

However, priorities were on the docking, thus causing a soft sort of silence to consume the entire ship. On the bridge, just like the first day of their ex-CO's final patrol, the silence was almost deathly. So it was no surprise then that when Gap-Girl spoke up, the entire bridge's company seemed to jump ever so slightly.

"X?"

Kate looked up and behind her, diverting her attention to Gap-Girl, whose slight frown caught her interest. Walking over to join the young seaman by the port window, she asked, "What is it?"

"Ma'am, you might want to look down at the wharf." She pointed towards the window and moved away as her executive officer's eyes followed her pointed finger.

As Kate's emerald eyes met the sight Gap-Girl had alerted her to, she could've sworn her jaw had detached itself from the rest of her face; though when her hand shot up to cover her mouth, it still felt intact.

"He's so supposed to be at NavCom," Nikki observed, joining the blonde by the window. "Unless he's missing Hammersley already," she added, smirking as the figure standing on the wharf waved at the spying women.

"Something about that statement doesn't really seem all that surprising," Kate replied, rolling her eyes and turning away from the window. "I'll go find out why he's waiting for us," she continued, nodding towards their new CO (a Lieutenant-Commander Richard Harm) before exiting the bridge.

Kate stood beside the railing as the ship was finally docked, a smile forming on her lips as she stood waiting for the gangway to be placed. When Mike sighted Kate and gave a short wave, she couldn't help but shout out her next words.

"You just can't get away can you?"

"Aren't I allowed to visit my old crew?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and waiting beside the gangway.

"We're old now?" Her expression was one of shock, though there was a hidden playfulness in her tone and eyes.

He rolled his ocean blues, grinning. "You know what I mean."

"You're supposed to be at NavCom, Sir," she replied. "It seems a little uncustomary for you to be here greeting us. What did Commander White have to say about you leaving your desk? Or did you have a reason to be leaving?"

"I told her I needed some air."

She laughed. "Is that right?" She shook her head in amusement. "You know, I thought you would have at least thought of something more creative."

"Aren't I creative enough?"

Kate smiled knowingly, her head turning to the right as she watched the crew who weren't on watch, file through one of the hatches, bags in hand and mouths continuously opening and closing as they talked with one another. As they came closer to the gangway, Spider noticed Mike standing on the other side.

"Sir!" he called, grinning.

"Hey there Spide," Mike replied, returning his grin and nodding towards the other crew members who were joining the line on the gangway.

"What are you doing here, Sir?" ET asked, joining Spider, Nikki, Buffer and Charge in standing with their former skipper.

"Just wanting to say hello to my former crew, and good friends."

"Not meeting anyone in particular, Sir?" Charge asked cheekily, the smallest hint of a gesture towards Kate in his head turn.

"No," Mike answered ignoring the nodded gesture, "Just my crew."

"_Former _crew," Nikki corrected.

"Yes, _former_ crew," he repeated, laughing. "But I believe there's no such thing in 'former' crew."

Kate raised an eyebrow, saluting as she crossed the gangway and joined the small group of people with their ex-CO. "I think a shore posting has made you go American on us Sir," she piqued. "I have a feeling you've been watching one too many American TV shows."

"Or just NCIS," ET laughed.

"And JAG," Charge added.

"With the added movie," Bomber smirked. "_An Officer and a Gentleman_ anyone?"

"Now don't you three go teasing the Commander," Buffer said sternly, though his eyes were laughing and there was the smallest hint of a smirk on his lips. "Whatever he's watching isn't any of our concern, and we shouldn't judge him based on what TV shows or movies he's watching. It's none of our business."

"Thank you Buff," Mike smiled. "And to answer you three–" He looked at ET, Charge and Bomber, "–I haven't been watching either of those TV shows _or_ that movie."

"What have you been watching then, Sir?" Nikki piqued, grinning despite the look Kate was giving her. "Please don't say _The Notebook_," she added, a touch more serious in her tone.

"The Notebook," he smirked and Nikki swatted his arm. "Hey!" he cried. "It's against Navy regs to hit a fellow officer."

"And you think I don't know that Sir?" she laughed. "Pfft. Here, we're friends – not colleagues. And besides, we _know_ that you came here for other reasons," she continued, winking.

"That's quite enough Nav," Mike warned.

"Sorry Sir." She didn't blush, nor feel ashamed, simply feeling like any normal friend pushing a mate in a certain romantic direction – if you caught her drift.

"How about you all stop badgering the Commander and go off on your shore leave?" Kate interrupted finally. "I know you're all happy to see Commander Flynn here, but I'm sure that he'll be around later on. I hear you're all going to the pub later this evening?"

The sailors raised their eyebrows, but only Bomber got the hint. "Oh right. Sir," she started.

"Yes Bomber?" Mike asked, turning towards her and giving her his full attention.

"Sir, everyone's going down to the pub for a few drinks to celebrate getting through a dull two week patrol. And since we haven't seen you in that time, maybe you'd like to join us? I know the X'll be joining us at some point during the evening," she added, catching his brief glance towards the blonde executive.

"I was?" Kate questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Nikki smiled. "Yeah, you were," she answered, moving to stand beside her and gently nudging her arm.

"You're not drunk are you Nav?"

"Completely sober Ma'am."

"I'm sure. Well, fine then. I'll see you all later tonight. Now get moving before you start interrogating the Commander some more," she ordered, sounding more like an insistent mother than a naval officer.

"Aye Ma'am."

As they all shuffled off, Mike gave Kate an appreciative look. "Thanks for that," he said.

"Anytime Sir," she replied, smiling. "So why are you really here?" she continued, looking up to meet his gaze. "It's not just because you wanted to see the crew is it?"

"Always the observant officer." She rolled her eyes at him, earning a chuckle. "And no, I didn't come here just to see the crew."

"Then why?"

"That's for me to know and you to find out," he replied, winking.

"Right." She looked away for a moment before looking back and gesturing towards the ship, "Well, if you're not going to tell me, I'll be getting back onboard. There are a few things I need to take care of here before I leave."

"It won't take too long will it?" he asked, somewhat anxiously. He had been harbouring something these past two weeks, causing a course of questions and possible answers to run rampant through his mind. There was something he wanted to ask, and he was eager to get it over and done with. In one respect.

Kate gave him a curious glance, before shaking her head slowly. "I should be finished in an hour or so," she answered. "Why?"

"Oh, I just–" He looked at her nervously, feeling a slight blush rise in his cheeks. "I was just wondering."

She laughed lightly. "I'm sure you were." She was turning to leave when Mike spoke up, truth in his eyes, heart on his sleeve and all the confidence (or lack of) in the world.

"So I'll see you at the pub tonight?"

Kate turned to watch his face, an expression of wanting upon it. He seemed a tad anxious in her opinion – something that wasn't often caught on the infamous Mike Flynn's face. Smiling at his (quite obvious) childish fear, she nodded in response, before crossing the gangway (with a salute of course) and disappearing within the grey, steal walls of Hammersley.

The pub, which the crew of Hammersley usually inhabited, was about fifteen minutes from the naval base, a three minute walk from the beach, and something like a five minute drive from each crew member's home. It was often the choice for regular meetings, most of which were social catch-ups and the regular 'just drinking with my mates after a long and crap patrol'.

Named after a long time (infamous) Cairns residence, Roland MacKenzie (though there had always been speculation it was named after the JAG character...), MacKenzie's Bar was often witness to the many antics of Hammersley's patrols. And that night was no exception.

"Hey! Sir!" Spider cried, waving over at Mike as he entered the pub. The young sailor was up to his eyeballs in beer and already drunk, causing the Commander to roll his eyes and make his way over to them.

"Already drunk Spide?" he asked, sitting down in one of the empty seats.

"Just a lil bit Siir," he replied, reaching for a beer bottle and thrusting it in front of Mike, who accepted obligingly.

Looking around at the full pub, he not so casually inspected every nook and cranny, keeping his eye out for Kate. Or _any_ of the women on Hammersley. Frowning when he didn't spot any of them, he called over to Buffer, poising his question to him.

Buffer laughed in response, adding, "They're probably taking their time getting here, Sir."

As the words were said, the women in question stepped through the doors, all laughing at something Bomber had just told them. All the men stopped their actions, and Mike had a sense of being in the movies as he watched the four women make their way over to them.

"Took your time getting here," ET stated, nodding towards them, an evident grin as Nikki glanced at him casually.

"It's a free country ET," the navigator responded, taking up the seat next to him, "So we have a right to show up whenever we want to."

"Precisely," Bomber added, choosing a seat between Gap-Girl and RO on the opposite side of the table they had occupied.

The boys merely rolled their eyes, going back to chatting about whatever it was they were chatting about before the girls had arrived and 'crashed' the gathering. Nikki, Bomber and Gap-Girl joined in whenever there was opportunity, whilst Kate remained where she was, at the bar in an awkward conversation with one Mike Flynn.

"Is everything good on Hammersley?" he began, watching as the blonde before him sipped at her red wine.

When she looked up to meet his gaze, she immediately cast it down once more. Thinking over her answer carefully, she only looked up again when she was confident in her response.

"Everything's fine." A short and simple answer; nothing too elaborate that would require her to elaborate on.

"Just fine?" he pushed, picking up his beer and bringing it up to his lips. He raised an eyebrow when she didn't respond and posed the question again, unsure of whether or not she heard him the first time.

"I did hear you the first time," she confirmed, a smile playing at her lips. "And to answer your question: yes, _just_ fine."

He gave a lopsided grin, one that quite often made Kate go weak at the knees – and she would've done so had it not been for the stool she was currently sitting on (_thank God_). She returned the smile with one of her own, before turning her attention back to her drink, causing the pair to fall into the pit of silence.

There had never been a time when silence had been so awkward. Usually, there was another person to get conversation flowing (even if it was somewhat strained), and when the pair had been alone, paperwork had always been able to fill the void.

Fiddling with her watch, Kate stared absently into her wine glass, the unending silence between her and her companion breaking through her blank mind. Unable to bear the silence any longer, she decided to pose a question that most of the crew (and she) had been wondering.

"How is it working with Commander White?" Her tone, although inquisitive and light, was laced with a hint of annoyance, a pint of humour and a dose of jealousy for good measure.

Mike smiled at the question. He had heard the layers in her tone, though he would never admit to her face about knowing them all. "Yeah, it's good. It's great working with her again. And it gives me an added bonus of not having to call her up to ask her out to dinner so we can catch up."

Kate smiled bitterly, thinking of other questions she could ask him before the silence consumed them once more. However, no questions were needed when a mass of shouts and cheers filled the otherwise 'normal sounding' pub. Two officers turned in a heartbeat, locating the source of disruption and smiling at the sight.

Mike laughed, rolling his eyes as he watched Spider and ET have a drink off – ET winning in the end when Spider spat his beer out.

"It's not even nine o'clock and they're already doing sculling competitions," commented Kate, shaking her head in an amused manner. "Shots will probably be next."

Mike nodded in agreement, catching the expression on RO's face as Nikki and Bomber faced off. Smirking, he turned back to Kate and winked.

"Seeing as the crew are preoccupied, how about we go for a walk?" he suggested, gesturing towards the door and already standing up.

Kate's eyes drifted towards the door and back. Standing up also, she replied, "Why not? Somehow I doubt we'll be missed. At least not yet."

Nikki's eyes followed Kate and Mike as they slipped outside, Mike's hand on Kate's lower back, guiding her. She smirked into her bottle of beer, before turning her attention back to the rest of the crew. Everyone's eyes were on her.

"What?"

"Have they gone?" ET asked.

She gave the affirmative, and a loud cheer went around the table.

"Well here's to the CO and X!" he cried, raising his beer.

"The CO and X," they all chorused, clinking their bottles together and taking long sips.

It was about a minute after that they realised they had cited the wrong words. Buffer shrugged on everyone's behalf, saying, "Commander Mike Flynn is our CO and always will be – even if the guy sitting in the captain's chair doesn't look like him."

"I'll drink to that!" Charge announced, and everybody agreed.

Away from the pub, the smell of alcohol and a ruckus causing crew, Mike led Kate towards the beach, hoping that the gentle roll of the sea crashing against the sand would allow them some time to think properly, as well as find some inspiration to break away from the silence that seemed to be plaguing them constantly.

Walking barefoot in the sand, shoes in hand and the water playing chicken with their feet, the silence this time, was calming. And although the wind made up for any talking that they should have been doing, the silence for once, was okay. Mike, however, had other ideas. A question had been tugging at his mind for a while and he was somewhat eager to ask it of Kate.

So when they had come somewhere near the middle of the beach, Mike stopped and turned to Kate, gesturing for her to sit. She obligingly did so, and he followed swiftly, landing softly in the soft, cool sand.

Kate watched as her companion occupied himself with getting comfortable, going so far as to lie back in the tiny grains they both knew would make their way into odd places. She smiled gently when he closed his eyes, breathing in the sea air deeply before sighing in contentedness.

"Comfortable enough?" she asked humouredly.

"You could join me," he replied, a smirk on his lips as he opened an eye to gauge her reaction.

"Don't push your luck Commander; I'm already alone on a beach with you." She shifted her position and drew her knees to her chin, resting it there a moment before wrapping her arms around her legs too.

Mike, seeing the slight shiver down Kate's frame, sat up immediately. Taking off his jacket, he placed it over her shoulders, smiling as she muttered a small 'thank you'.

"You're welcome." He moved to lie back down again, but Kate caught his hand. Looking down at their intertwined fingers and then up at her shining green eyes, he remained where he was.

Kate too had cast her eyes to their hands, and feeling suddenly ashamed and embarrassed at her rather bold action, let go and mumbled an almost inaudible 'sorry'.

Mike shook his head fervently. "No, don't be." He gave her a warm, reassuring smile before crossing the invisible line of professionalism and personal and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her to his side and warding off the cold.

She sighed into his side, unsure of _what_ exactly was happening.

"Is something the matter, Kate?" he asked, having caught her sigh amongst the wind. He shifted gently to look down at her, and craning her neck to look up, shook.

"Nothing's wrong, I just– What are we doing?"

He shrugged, half smiling. "I'm keeping you warm."

She looked down, and moved to stand, leaving Mike still sitting, his arm sitting dejectedly on his knee, and his jacket hanging precariously off her shoulders.

"I think I should be going home," she declared factually, taking off Mike's jacket and handing it down for him to take. When he didn't make a move to take it back, she sighed irritably and dropped it in his lap.

"Wait! Kate!" he called suddenly, when she turned to walk away.

"What?" she asked, turning back and squinting against the gentle wind.

"Let me take you home. It isn't safe for you to be going home yourself."

A string of arguments began to reel in Kate's mind, ranging from completely sensible to downright stupid. In the end, simple is what she went for; and with a curt nod, Mike ran to her side and accompanied her home.

When they arrived at Kate's house, some ten minutes later, they had fallen into a semi-comfortable silence, having had talked about work and postings half the way to keep them occupied and busy. But now they had approached the final step – and Mike still hadn't managed to ask his question, he decided that he'd better ask _now_.

"Kate, would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

The woman in question stared at him, her mouth opened in shock and eyes wide with surprise. Opening her mouth to speak, her somewhat breathless reply was, "Could you please repeat that?"

Mike took a step closer, almost pinning Kate between himself and the door.

"Kate," he said softly, "Would you like to go out to dinner with me tomorrow night?"

She could've blanked out right then and there, but now having found herself in bed and gazing at _the _photograph, she knew she wouldn't have – under _any_ circumstances. Well, maybe that was just a bit of an over exaggeration...

Replaying the conversation she had had with Mike at her front door over and over in her mind, she came to the realisation, just as she was drifting off into the land of dreams, that no matter how hard she would try, she would never be able to get out of her Mike induced state. And it was with a smile and her final parting words to one Commander Mike Flynn that she fell asleep.

"_Yes, absolutely."_

_

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**A/N: **I suck at updating, and at this point in time, my sucky updating will remain as is. Hope you all enjoyed this part, and please rate and review, or whatever, on your way out :)


	6. Chapter 5: A Day and a Night

To say that the following day _after_ a night of drinking too much alcohol was difficult was an understatement. The morning after (if it was morning that is), was just plain crap. And for Hammersley's resident buffer, it wasn't any different. Having woken to the bright, glaring sun as it shone through his open window (_why the hell is it opened?_), the only thing the man could do to save himself the urge of throwing up, was to clamp his eyes shut and roll over in the other direction.

The action brought some peace to his throbbing mind, but when his alarm clock went off with a loud, challenging ring, he could've sworn his head had just been kicked in four times over.

_Who the hell turned that on?_ He lifted a hand to his bedside table and allowed himself the pleasure of slamming down on the annoying contraption. However, he misjudged just how close the clock had been to the edge of the table, and with a crash that could render any hung-over sailor immediately alert, fell to the wooden floor.

"What the hell was that?" came a distant voice, shock and anger evident in their tone. Above the shouting and cursing, Buffer could hear the sounds of footfalls on wooden floorboards becoming increasingly louder as they came closer to his bedroom door.

With an unceremonious slam, the door was opened and a brown-eyed woman stood in the threshold, a scrutinising expression on her face. Her eyes shifted from the electronic mess on the floor to the man in the tangled sheets, causing her to sigh irritably.

"You do realise that you have managed to wake up RO and Spider," she stated, crossing her arms over her chest.

Buffer squinted, his eyes still foggy. Realising who was standing before him, he felt his mouth hang slightly. "Bomber?"

"Uh, yeah?"

His brow furrowed into a frown. "What are you doing here?"

She raised her eyebrows. "You don't remember anything that happened last night?"

A series of thoughts flashed across Buffer's mind, causing him to jerk his head up in worry. "What the hell happened?"

Lieutenant Kate McGregor had two options. One, she could stop staring at her reflexion in the mirror, and mentally prepare herself for the phone call that would inform Mike she'd be late for their arranged date; _or_, she could stop staring at her reflexion in the mirror, and mentally prepare herself for the phone call that could easily break Mike's heart.

Hmm, which to choose?

To date or not to date, that was the question. And whichever the answer, it would still have its consequences. Choose 'to date' and she could have a whole ship (plus one) to deal with... The smirking, the giggling, the interrogating... _Argh_, she didn't even want to think about it. Nav would be on her case, wanting answers from her the moment she appeared on the horizon. But then again, choose 'not to date' and she would have one sulking, upset and pissed off Commander Michael Flynn to deal with. Did she _really_ want to deal with his tears and questions of 'why?'? Not really.

She had to make a decision. Soon. Time was running out, and with only _this _much time before she reached the point of no return, that decision would have to be made in _three..._

_Two..._

_One..._

_Now._

"Mike?"

Buffer stared at the three sailors standing in a line before him, each dressed in shorts and t-shirts, complete with messy hair and red, bleary eyes. His stance made them cringe, and despite the pounding headache he could feel pulsing at all parts of his brain, the need to know just _what the hell_ _happened_ far outweighed his need to find a dark, quiet room to disappear in.

"Who did it?" he demanded, his gaze shifting from one person to the other.

Spider blushed under his gaze, quite embarrassed at the situation he had been found in; RO continued to stare blankly back at the angry bosun, not really caring what happened; and Bomber, stood at a wilting attention, the slightest movement indicating she would be meeting the floor in about three or so minutes.

"Which of you, decided that it would be funny to do _this_?" He gestured to the manikin leaning against the wall.

Spider gave Bomber a sidelong glance, a sheepish smile forming on his lips. Buffer narrowed his eyes at the young seaman, taking a step towards him. "Was it _your_ idea?"

"Negative Buffer," Spider replied, biting down on the inside of his cheek.

"Actually Buff, it was ET's," piqued Bomber, swaying.

"If its ET's joke, what the hell are you three doing here, camped out on my living room floor?" He jerked a finger towards the living room which could be seen through the adjoining archway. Scattered across the deep coloured carpet were various items of clothing – including a set of Buffer's uniform – as well as blankets, food and what appeared to be quite a collection of tequila bottles. "Where's ET?" he demanded.

Bomber looked at Spider, who looked at RO, who, in turn, glared at the both of them. "What? It was _you two_ who got _me_ drunk and doing whatever it was you made me do."

"Way to stick up for your mates RO," the chef murmured, giving the radio operator a nasty look before turning to face Buffer.

"ET went home," she answered, refusing to acknowledge the former question. "And we're still here because we happened to... pass out before we made it to the door."

He wasn't impressed with her answer. Taking a step back, he gave them one statement before stalking off, his bedroom door slamming behind him.

"Toothbrushes are under the sink."

They didn't have to ask what he meant.

The sun was setting over the horizon, indicating the end of another day and the start of another night, bringing with it the moon and the stars – the perfect scene for a romance in the making to bloom. However, the perfect image seemed to shatter like glass when all of a sudden God started to play games, hence the now falling rain.

Mike groaned at the sound of a constant _pitter patter _hitting the roof of his car, intensifying with each moment the traffic lights decided to remain red. He cursed under his breath, eyes flicking constantly over to the stupid piece of negative crap that brought a knife to his heart.

Hmm, dramatic.

Maybe the whole cursing, blaming his mobile thing was a tad overdramatic, but then... wasn't _this_?

It was evening the next time Buffer woke. Through bleary eyes he could make out the dim light of the moon shining through the closed curtains, and hear the soft pattering of rain against the windows. Rolling over onto his back, he waited a moment to allow his vision to adjust. It seemed that his headache had passed, and all that was left was a slight pounding at his temple.

That was when he noticed the silence. Odd. Weren't Bomber, RO and Spider supposed to be down the hall making a racket as they cleaned up ET's mess? Frowning at the lack of noise, he slowly began to sit up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed where they hit the cool floor.

Five minutes later, he was standing in the archway of his lounge room, rolling his eyes at the three people scatted across his floor, a soft chorus of snoring filling in the gaps of silence. In each person's hand, was a toothbrush, bristles sticking out at odd angles to signify the end of its life.

Sighing, he proceeded to walk over to the three figures, bending down to gently prod them awake, shout if need be. It wasn't needed however, as his voice became lodged in his throat and he staggered back in surprise, foot catching in the rug and causing him to fall backwards.

The three sailors shot up in a startled wake up, and turned their eyes on the fallen petty officer.

"You okay Buff?" Bomber asked, rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm fine." He stood up quickly, eyes flicking to the three surprised faces before turning his gaze on the loosely joint hands sitting lazily on the floor.

"Something wrong Buff?" Spider queried, rising to his feet.

"No." He ignored their sceptical looks, and continued, "I'm presuming you've scrubbed everything ET's touched in the past twenty-four hours, so throw your brushes out and go home. I'll see you on Hammersley in two days."

They all shrugged, and Buffer noticed that their grip on each other's hands had become nonexistent. Maybe he'd been seeing things? God he hoped so. He didn't want to have to deal with _another_ secret relationship.

Bomber smiled as she walked past, RO and Spider following behind her. They gave their goodbyes and all parted ways, heading to their respective homes and leaving Buffer to a pleasurable silence. And probably a beer or two.

He was on the couch within twenty minutes, a bottle of beer sitting on the coffee table and the television set playing some overly macho action movie. He'd invited Charge and Swain over, both agreeing and saying they would be there in about half an hour.

Ah, nothing like a good beer, an action movie and great mates to keep you company. Life really was perfect sometimes. A shame that weird mental image of RO and Bomber holding hands had to taint it.

This wasn't happening. _Couldn't_ be happening. What the _hell_ was he doing there? _Crap_.

"Mike." She could see the pain in his eyes, and that look of having been pushed over and kicked. Argh, the guilt.

"Kate." He paused, an awkward silence filing the gap between them. Kate shifted carefully, watching as he thought over his next choice of words.

"Can I come in?" he asked, already moving past her as she opened the door to allow him through.

"Sure," she mumbled, forgetting to breathe as his arm brushed against hers. Sighing when he passed, the door was closed and Mike's rant began.

"Why did you cancel our date?" he asked, his tone not quite demanding but definitely getting there. "I was waiting for you at the restaurant, already scared out of mind that we had agreed to a date and were actually going – supposed – to have dinner together. I thought the phone call was to say you were running late!"

"And it was, until I thought we're probably better off not stepping into that territory again. You _know_ how it ended last time. What happens if we follow the same path? It'll be _both_ our careers, _and_ our hearts. Do you really think we can afford to go out on some whim that we may still be _in love_ with each other? _Can_ we afford it?" she asked, noticing that they had backed into the living room.

"I don't know – you never _let_ us love a second time around. You're presuming again! Yes, we love our jobs, but that hurdle is yet to be reached. First you've got to jump the first one of actually getting to the first date!" he replied, his voice rising.

"But that's not the reason you cancelled, is it?" he continued, realising the flaws in her argument. "The whole 'going out on a whim' is just an excuse for your real one. What _really_ made you cancel our date?"

She glared at him angrily, unsure of whether or not she should admit her true reasoning. Maybe today was one of those days where she should tell the truth...

"I cancelled because this relationship between _us_ will never eventuate into anything more than just a professional one, or, in a rare circumstance, a fling. And I don't want that. You're off the boat, so anything _should_ be able to happen; but I _know_ you Mike Flynn. You've found excuses and loopholes and hidden behind them once, and given the opportunity you will hide behind them again."

"What are you talking—?"

"You're an emotional coward!" she cried out, infuriated at his lack of realisation.

Blinded by her comment, and upset at the situation he'd found himself repeating all over again, he replied with the only thing he could think of, "That's not fair! We were on the same ship! You know the regulations!"

"You can't hide behind them anymore." And then it was like something inside him snapped, breaking his idiot streak and causing him to realise exactly what she was saying.

His lips were on hers in a flash, crushing down upon her soft mouth within a second of her final statement leaving it. Their kiss was brutal and desperate, wanting and passionate. It was filled with love and lust and years of unresolved tension. It was a literal heaven on earth, and left both people quite unaware of all around them until they had to come up and desperately fill their lungs with air.

The looks in both their eyes was intense, showing the other person what words could no longer express. If words could express any of the feelings that either person was feeling at that specific moment in time, a miracle would have occurred. However, miracles didn't come and they remained silent, unable to speak what they wanted to say.

However short this pause was (two seconds to be exact...), it didn't last. Within moments of coming up for air, Kate's lips were back on Mike's, taking him for all he was worth, and more. Her left hand came up to tangle in his hair, before sliding down to his neck and eventually caressing his cheek. In response, he backed her into a wall, and allowed his body to lay flush against hers. His hand roamed down her back and to her thigh, and with a quick movement, she was wrapping her leg around his waist, his hand keeping support.

He lifted her up off the floor and began to back into her bedroom, his lips never leaving hers. They were lying on her bed in a matter of seconds, kissing and caressing, undressing and basking in the actions that seemed to have taken over them like unforgotten dance steps. They're movements together were natural and slow, building to an intense rhythm before release came and overtook their senses.

It was with sweet satisfaction that they fell asleep in each other's arms, knowing that _now_ was as close to heaven as they were going to get, as close to _perfect_ as perfect could be. Because right now, _this_, this closeness, this togetherness, was all they were asking for.

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**A/N: **An apology for being so... crappy with updating. I haven't been in the mood since the second episode of the fourth season aired here in Australia, to write. I've had this part written up for a while, but couldn't be bothered posting. Hope you liked it (: Please review on your way out, they mean a lot to me.


	7. Chapter 6: Grey Clouds on a Sunny Day

The sky outside was littered grey with impending clouds, yet still the light shone through, allowing for a soft glow to radiate off the calm, still seas. It posed for quite a pretty sight, something that could easily be used as the subject for a photograph or painting. The subject of such a masterpiece would blend well with it, and although the grey-coloured exterior would make it almost invisible, it was still a strong subject matter in the artistic landscape. Around it dotted people who walked and jogged, getting ready to start another day at the office, so to speak.

"You should get that painted," one person observed, in a chipper tone. "It'd look great hanging in your office; plus Mike would probably appreciate it. Heck, he'd probably steal it from you."

"He probably would..." Maxine strummed her fingers gently against her chin, frowning briefly before turning around to face the person who had spoken. "Why don't you go get some coffee or tea? I'll meet you in an hour; I just need to finish up a few things here." She smiled gently, before pulling the person into a hug. "It's good to see you, Ryan."

"Yeah, you too Mum," he laughed, pulling away when he felt that the time limit had been acceded. "Just give me a call when you're done, and say 'hi' to Mike for me when you see him, too. Thanks."

Maxine nodded, watching her son leave. Slumping back down into her desk chair, she sighed irritably. It was almost ten o'clock and Mike still hadn't shown up. Sure, it was a Sunday morning, but she had specifically requested that he turn up. They were supposed to go out to lunch. Except she hadn't mentioned that little fact when she'd called him last night... Maybe she should have mentioned it...

Picking up the phone, she dialled his number, waiting patiently as it rang repetitively before going to voicemail. She rolled her eyes. Typical Mike.

"Hi Mike, it's Max; I was just calling to ask if you remembered you were supposed to come into work today... And also, if you were free for lunch. Ryan's come back from overseas and we were going to head out and catch up over a bite to eat. It'd be great if you can make it. If you can, just give me a call."

She put the receiver down and looked at the phone, half expecting to hear its shrill ring any moment now. However, it didn't come and she sighed again, standing up and going over to look back out her window. The _Hammersley_ was still in port, awaiting another assignment. Half the crew were on shore leave, and it would be cruel to bring them all back after only a night. Most of them were probably hung over anyway, thus rendering them incapable of controlling the ship.

She'd just have to wait until Monday to crash sail them.

Maybe.

It was the feel of a hand gently rubbing up and down against her back to which Kate woke. It was a pleasant feeling, and one that she wouldn't object to waking up to every morning. Opening her eyes with a slight flutter (the dim light was still too bright for her fogged up vision), she smiled down at the man lying beneath her, her hand coming to rest lazily against his chest.

"Good morning," she murmured, leaning down to kiss his lips softly.

"Morning," he replied in turn, stealing another kiss before she pulled away. "Good sleep?"

"The best." She shifted her position, her chin coming to a rest against his shoulder. Breathing in his scent, she smiled in contentment. "It's been a long time since I've woken up feeling like there's a warm and happy glow somewhere inside of me."

Mike smirked at her choice of words. "I'm glad to have put it there."

She gasped at his reply and quickly tried to sit up, coming to rest on her elbow as she slapped him gently on the chest. He let out a soft 'oof' in complaint, but the smirk that rested on his perfect mouth, remained there despite his exclaim.

At her look however, he immediately apologised. She in turn, leaned in to lay a chaste kiss on his nose, before sitting up completely, the blanket falling around her waist, her honey locks cascading down and around her shoulders. She smiled casually at him, moving to get out of bed before she got too comfortable and fell asleep in his arms once more.

"What are you doing?" Mike asked, watching as Kate draped her bathrobe around herself.

"I'm going to go make coffee," she answered.

"Be back soon?" He gave her a crooked grin – the one that would make her go weak at the knees (which it did) – causing her to lean against the doorframe unwillingly. Mike smirked at the sight of her, draped over the wooden frame with one smooth leg showing through her bathrobe.

"Um..." She swallowed, her gaze slipping. "I'll be back in a bit..." Her cheeks flushed, and she turned, hurrying towards the kitchen.

From his position on the bed, Mike could hear the kettle running, and could almost picture Kate distractedly making her coffee. He felt a smirk pull at his lips and he wondered whether or not it was worth the effort of getting up and trudging down the hall to envelop Kate in a hug, just so that he could see her blush again. _Definitely worth the effort_.

Swinging his legs, he came up to a sitting position and deftly wrapped the white bed sheet around his waist. Trudging down the hallway, the aroma of fresh coffee filled his senses. Turning into the kitchen, he watched Kate fiddle with a strand of honey blonde hair. Walking up behind her carefully, he reached around her waist and pulled her tightly into him. She gave a soft gasp at the contact, but nonetheless leaned into his chest, closing her eyes for a brief moment before opening them again as the shriek of _Yellow Submarine_ played from somewhere in her bedroom.

Mike's grip around Kate's middle tightened a moment, before slacking and eventually fading. He leaned down to rest his forehead against the crook of Kate's neck, breathing in her scent, and allowing it to capture his attention a moment longer than necessary.

"You know you should probably answer that," Kate stated, shifting so that his head fell from its perch. "It could be NavCom."

He sighed defiantly. "It can go to voicemail."

"Just answer it Mike. It could be important."

"Okay, okay." He rolled his eyes and smirked. Humming to himself as he made his way back to Kate's bedroom, he scooped down to pick up his pants and reach into the pocket for the singing rectangle. Checking the caller ID and seeing 'private', he wondered at who it could be and pressed 'answer', lifting it to his ear and responding with, "Mike Flynn speaking" just as Kate called down the hall.

"And Mike! Don't forget to put back my bed sheets! They are not yours to use as some sort of toga."

The person on the other end of telephone line spluttered. _"M-Mike?"_

"Maxine?" he asked, his eyebrows rising. "Are you okay?"

"_I-I'm fine, Mike,"_ Maxine answered, _"Where the hell are you?"_

"I'm at a friend's place."

"_Ah. And is this friend... female_?" He could hear the amused accusation in her tone, causing him to roll his eyes and wonder if whether or not Kate would mind his telling Maxine that he was at hers...

"And what gave that away?"

"_Oh, I don't know... the female voice? The reference to bed sheets and togas...? You take your pick."_

Mike began to run a hand across his face and through his hair, and he soon found himself sitting on the edge of Kate's bed. "I'm..." Looking up, he watched Kate come towards him, two cups of coffee in her hands. She left one on her bedside table for him to take, and turned to leave as to not interrupt his phone call, but felt her hand become caught in his and her whole being pulled towards him in a gentle tug.

"Who is it?" she mouthed, sitting cross-legged next to him and taking a sip of coffee.

"Maxine," he mouthed back.

"Oh."

"_Mike? Are you still there?"_ Maxine interrupted, ignorant of the scene that was going on the other end of the line.

"Yeah?" Mike answered, distractedly.

"_You haven't answered my question."_

He frowned. She'd asked a question? "What was your question?"

On the other end of the line, Maxine resisted the urge to roll her eyes. _"Never mind. Anyway, I was calling to ask if you remembered that I asked you to come into work. Ryan's in town and we were going to head out for lunch."_

"You needed me to come into work for that?"

"_Well not really, it's just convenient. However, there is a matter I need to brief you on."_

"What time?"

"_Around noon?"_

Mike glanced down across at the clock sitting atop Kate's dresser. The numbers currently read 10:48. "Yeah, okay. I'll come. I'll see you in an hour."

"_Great. I'll see you then, Mike."_

"Bye." He slid his phone shut, cutting off the line. Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and reached over to grab the cup of coffee Kate had brought in for him. He took a sip, smiling at the warmth.

"I told you it might be important," Kate observed, her lips pulling up into a smirk. "What are you going in for? Paperwork?"

"Something like that," Mike replied. He paused a moment, deciding whether or not to tell Kate that Maxine wanted to go out to lunch. Deciding not to elaborate, he began to stand, the sheet he still wore around him, slipping a little further.

"What time are you leaving?" Kate looked up at him, reaching out a hand to trace the bare piece of skin uncovered by her bed sheet.

"About eleven, eleven thirty."

"Okay."

"What do you want to do until then?" He placed his half-full coffee cup on Kate's bedside table.

"Mmm, I don't know. Although..." She placed her own cup beside Mike's and stood, tugging at the white cloth wrapped around his waist, "We could start with putting back my bed sheets..."

Nikki raised her eyes, watching the man in front of her as he balanced two cups of coffee and a plate of food—an attempt to be a gentleman and bring her breakfast in bed. Not a complete fail. She smiled up at him, sighing into his kiss and relieving him of one of the mugs.

"Morning," she greeted brightly, sipping carefully. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Not a worry, Nik. Anything for you," ET added, sitting on the edge of the mattress.

Nikki raised an eyebrow. "Anything?" she asked, cheekily.

He caught the sly tone of her voice and snorted. "Well, not _anything_, but close to it. If you asked for a massage or more coffee I'd do it. I'd have to think about giving you the moon though, considering I'd have to leave the Navy and become an astronaut—and even then, the chances are pretty slim." He smirked as she smacked his arm, scoffing. "Yeah, yeah, okay. I know you wouldn't ask for the impossible."

"But what if I did ask for the impossible?" She raised a brow in challenge. "What if I asked you to trek to the ends of earth and bring me back whatever's there? Or, what if I asked you to give me a star?"

"Just drink your coffee, Nik," he returned, turning with a shake of his head. Sometimes he felt like he was chastising a teenage dreamer, not the adult officer he loved.

"I'm just saying," Nikki sung, laughing. "So what are we doing today? Aside from the usual: paperwork, sitting, eating and sleeping."

"Well—" He placed his cup on the bedside table, stealing a piece of toast, "—I've got to go into NavCom to put some paperwork in around noon and then I need to pick something up, but after that I was thinking we could go for a drive up the coast."

"A drive? Really? As if that doesn't sound suspicious," Nikki observed. "Is there something you want to tell me, Josh?"

He shook his head. "There's this great little place I want to show you."

"How romantic," she laughed.

"We'll go around four. It's only a forty-five minute drive." He smiled, pecking her lips. "I'll pack us dinner and we can take a few hours to relax. You can enjoy yourself, and take a break from paperwork."

"I enjoy myself wherever I am with you, Josh. I don't need to be in some clichéd romance movie setting for me to enjoy myself and the time I spend with you. You're all I need." She gave a shy smile, before he engulfed her in his arms (mindful of the breakfast tray between them), and kissed her soundly on the lips.

Mike left Kate's place an hour later, dressed in the clothes he had worn the night before and sporting a smug grin that seemed to radiate: 'I got lucky last night!' He had stolen several kisses from Kate as he dressed and stepped through the door, promising that he would be back around seven and would call if something came up.

"Okay," Kate had replied, pressing a final kiss to his lips. "I'll see you later."

"See you later, Kate."

Now, he stood in the vicinity of his own home, looking at his reflection in the mirror with some scrutiny. He decided that he couldn't be bothered shaving, and that after a shower and a change of clothes he would at least look presentable for an appearance at NavCom and then a lunch date with Maxine and Ryan.

Ryan. His godson. The closest thing he had to a child.

He coughed. He'd never thought about having kids of his own, not since he had never found the right woman to be the mother of them. He never _expected_ to find the right woman either, but that train of thought had come to a screeching halt in the form of one blonde officer with a significant clucky side. He grinned to himself, her face making an appearance in his mind's eye momentarily before the cold water of the shower chased away any coherent thought.

Stepping from the shower some five minutes later, Mike dressed in his staple jeans and shirt, before grabbing his car keys and making the short journey to NavCom. As he approached, he noticed the distinct lack of Navy personnel walking to and from the building. _Because it's the weekend and normal people don't come to work on weekends._ He rolled his eyes in self scrutiny. Like many people had said before, he was married to his job.

Maxine was in her office, finishing up the relatively small pile of paperwork that had been dumped on her desk the previous night. It was just after 1230 hours and Mike was yet to show up. While it didn't entirely faze her that Mike was late (though he rarely was), the thought that maybe he had _forgotten_ did upset her. Any fears were put to rest, however, when a wide, boyish grin appeared in front of her.

"Max," Mike greeted, sitting in the chair opposite. He gestured towards the stack of paper, "Finishing up some paperwork?"

"Yes, courtesy of your former crew." She gave him a tight smile, signing off on another sheet before laying her pen down. "I thought you weren't going to come," she started, her tone slightly off.

"And miss out on a chance to see my godson? Not a chance." He offered her his lopsided grin—the one that usually got her knees shaking. When she didn't respond, he sighed. "I'm sorry I'm late. I had to ah... take care of a few things."

"Ah huh." Maxine raised an eyebrow at him, shaking her head as she dropped the subject. "Ryan's gone to get a coffee, so he'll meet us at the restaurant." A beat. "He's looking forward to seeing you again. He's thinking about enlisting."

"Really? I had no idea he wanted to join. If I'd known, I'd have offered him a tour of _Hammersley_." He smiled thoughtfully as he recalled his favourite girl. Well, _one _of them anyway.

"Mike, while I appreciate the offer, you are no longer the CO of _Hammersley_. If Ryan wants to tour a ship, I'll be glad to have one of the COs take him around; but _you_ are not one of them."

"I'm hurt, Max." Mike pulled a wounded expression. "You're telling me that I can't give my own _godson_, a tour of a ship a used to skipper?"

She almost caved under his look. Blinking, she shook her head defiantly. "Sorry Mike, no can do. I can't have you reattaching yourself to a ship you're not serving on. You're at NavCom now, and unless something drastic happens like the _Hammersley_'s CO becomes gravely ill, you're stuck here."

"Ouch."

* * *

**Author's Note: I am so sorry for the delayed update. I know it's probably been about a year or so but school has been such a major pain in the ass and kept me from writing anything remotely fic related. However, I found some time (peer pressure - it was _peer pressure_) that allowed be to write. So, there is this chapter and another one. Anything after that one is all up in there air as I have to wait for more time (or more pressure to write...). So, I hope you enjoyed this part, and COMMENT! Comments are like chocolate brownies - sweet and gooey and make you feel good :D:D**


	8. Chapter 7: Lunch Date

Bomber sat idly in front of the television, a brew in her hand and her eyes looking at—but not taking in—the information before her. She hated Sundays, simply because there was never anything exciting to do. Most of her Navy friends were busy and the few civilian mates she had floating around nearby were spending time with their families because 'we have our kids to think about and you don't'.

She blinked slowly. Was she really _that old_? Was twenty-two really the age she should be thinking about settling down and having kids? _Wow_. She had to get out if _that_ was what she was beginning to freak out over. Picking up her discarded mobile, she dialled the one number she was yet to try, tapping her foot impatiently as it rang.

"_Robert J. Dixon speaking."_

"Really, Robert? Robert _J._ Dixon?" She raised her eyebrows in amusement, her imagination bringing to mind the upset frown that was almost certain to have made its way on the uncommunicative communicator's face at her words.

"_What is that you want, Bomber?"_ His stern tone brooked no argument and she played it down, though not going so far as to completely disregard the fact that he ignored her first query.

"Nothing really," she answered, "Though I did have the idea of calling to ask if you wanted to go out and grab a bite to eat."

There was silence on the other end, causing Bomber to stretch out on her couch whilst she awaited an answer. When it finally came, she smiled brightly.

"_Okay then. I'll meet you at your place in half an hour."_

"Yep. See you in thirty!" The dial tone met her ear and she sighed, tossing the mobile onto the couch. Willing herself to stand, she walked to her bedroom to change, moving slower than normal to fill in time. If she knew anything about Leading Seaman Robert J. Dixon, it was that he was always on time and hated waiting. It didn't faze her, of course – she always found pleasure in making him wait; especially when he would complain and whine. It was almost as if they were married—

_Uh..._

The restaurant overlooked the ocean. Wide open windows gave way to a splendour of clear skies and blue water, dotted with boats of all different sizes, children splashing around on the beaches and parents screaming out 'stop it!' Mike smiled absently, watching the regatta race as future sailors sailed around the bay in their corsairs, stealing the wind of others whilst laughing merrily as water came splashing back at them in an act of revenge. Ah, the reverie.

"Mike?"

He blinked, turning his attention away from the window and to the conversation at hand. Maxine was asking him something. "No."

"No?" She raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about, Mike?"

His eyebrows knitted to meet in the middle, confusion evident. "Didn't you ask me a question?"

"Yes, but 'no' isn't the answer."

"What was the question?"

Maxine smiled, the lines appearing around her eyes, indicating genuine amusement. "You were off dreaming about _Hammersley_ again, weren't you? That's why you didn't hear the question."

Mike laughed. "Not this time, Maxine. I was watching the regatta out on the bay – reminds me of when I used to sail in the summer." He paused, watching as one of boats began to tip. "It's good weather for it: clear skies, sunshine and twenty knot winds – everything you could ever need for a day out on the bay."

"Or out on a patrol boat," the woman in front of him added, smiling knowingly. "You really are married to the sea, aren't you?" He glanced back, surprised, though entirely aware of the assumption that his only wife was the never ending blue expanse before him. He acknowledged it, of course, on numerous occasions, but Kate...

"Sometimes I am," he replied, "But then sometimes when I come home... it _all_ changes." His lips pulled into a half grin.

Maxine's heart did a back flip. "Home is where the heart is?"

"Precisely."

They watched each other for several minutes, comfortable in their silence and the ambiance of the busy seaside restaurant. People bustled by and while they were aware of these people's doings, they didn't completely take them in. That is, until Mike noticed RO and Bomber walk through the doors and take a seat in one of the corners – away from public scrutiny. His eyes widened in surprised (_since when were they—?_) and was about to voice his discovery when a sudden "Hi!" caught his attention.

Mike looked up, a wide dimpled grin greeting his clueless expression. "Hi Mike. Surprised to see me? I thought Mum would have told you."

"Ryan," Mike greeted, standing up and giving the younger male a half hug. "Sorry, Maxine _did_ tell me, I was just caught off guard – I thought I saw a few people I know; but that doesn't matter right now. Sit and we can order."

Maxine leaned over to kiss her son, rubbing off the excess lipstick left behind as she pulled back. "You should tell Mike about your trip – you'll probably make him jealous."

Ryan turned to Mike and relayed to him the six months he had taken off to travel around Europe, recalling the people he had come across, the places he had visited and the weather he had had to cope with. They talked about the sailing he had done around the Mediterranean and Mike eagerly told him the stories that he had come away with after his own trip around Europe some twenty years ago when he was none-too-sweetly asked to take a few months sabbatical leave.

"Best order of my life," Mike laughed, taking a sip of his beer. "I couldn't believe it at first, but then I had just been given my orders for ADFA so I suppose they thought I deserved a break before throwing myself into studying." He paused a moment, lost in memories of sun, water and Europe. "I hear you're considering joining up – or so Maxine tells me. Is it true?" he asked, memories trailing to a halt.

"Mum's trying to convince me to enlist, but I don't see what the big deal is. All I see is order and formality." Ryan shrugged, glancing at his mother and back again, before she could get a word in.

"All you see is the Commander Maxine White sitting behind a wooden desk doing paperwork all day," Mike elaborated, smirking. "The navy's not all that, Ryan. We have frigates, helicopters, patrol boats. We see action, we have fun, but the downside – like all other jobs – is the paperwork. It may seem like orders and formality, are downsides but they're not, not really. They're a tradition that goes back through the centuries and what makes the _Royal Australian Navy_ what we are now. We wouldn't be here without it."

Ryan laughed. "You make it sound like one of those old movies."

"You should think about it," Mike encouraged. "There are a great number of opportunities for you. If you want, I can get one of my gap year sailors to tell you about the experience."

"Mike," Maxine warned, catching his slip of the tongue.

He smirked, his apology coming out in a mocking tone. "I'm sorry. If you want, I can get one of the gap year sailors based here in Cairns to tell you about the experience. You never know, they might just convince you to sign up."

"I don't know, Mike," Ryan replied, shrugging. "They'll probably just talk about how awesome _they_ think the whole thing is."

"Bird's different," Mike got out before he could think. Maxine rolled her eyes, excusing herself to use the lady's room and leave the men to argue.

"I don't want to hear this guy Bird. He sounds..."

Mike hid a smile, shaking his head. _Assumptions... _Oh, how he had become quite versed in them. "I'll call and see, just in case you change your mind."

"Yeah, whatever."

Kate looked around the empty room, sighing as she sighted the dishes in the sink and the mess in the living room. It was going to be a long day of chores and housework for her... She groaned, swallowing the remainder of her coffee and placing it in the sink. Reaching for the gloves sitting beside the shiny metal, she put them on, the water running lukewarm and bubbly. _May as well start now than leave it until after Mike leaves the second time and we're crash sailed_...

RO all but glared at the lunch menu in front of him, eyes scanning like a computer through each option and weighing up the pros and cons of each meal choice, whether he felt like meat, salad or both, or if he simply felt like the lot. He could feel Bomber's eyes watching him, big and brown and soulful, and if they didn't stop looking at him he would probably start blushing.

"Do you do this _every_ time you go out for a meal?" Bomber queried, her eyes never leaving his. "Or just with me?"

He lifted his gaze for a moment to meet her own, silently observing the blush that began to grow from her neck to her cheeks. "With everyone," he answered bluntly, returning to his menu before flagging down a waiter and patiently waiting for Bomber to place her order.

When the waiter finished taking their orders, leaving with a goofy smile and bright, wide eyes, RO watched Bomber watching him. It was a strange thing, really, observing the features of another whilst they did the same with you. He took in her half upturned lips, pink tinged cheeks and the slight frown she wore, making note of the way her eyes would flicker slightly downwards for a fraction of a second before continuing the staring contest they had going on.

"Do you always stare at the person you're having lunch with?" she asked, still watching.

"No." Short, crisp and straight to the point. He was blunt and he was boring, never one to go into too much detail with his answers unless sitting some sort of exam. Sometimes.

"So it's just with me?"

"_You're_ the one staring at me," he replied, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms defiantly. It was a silent dare to _admit_ that she was the one staring.

"And what if I am?" Bomber smirked. Truth acknowledged. _Just._

"Why are you staring at me Bomber?" RO asked.

She shrugged in returned, blinking. "I don't know, RO. You're a mystery, that's all – maybe that's why I'm staring. Maybe I'm trying to uncover the huge secret behind the mysterious Mr Radio Operator. What makes you, you, Robert J. Dixon?"

"I'm not a mystery, Bomber. And there's nothing to me. I'm just me." It was one of those times when people confused him, and whilst he usually understood the fiery chef (because, really, who didn't when you knew the consequences for not understanding could be dire...), this was one time when the topic of conversation was simply, too difficult to comprehend. It made him feel off balanced (because he understood a lot more than the average person), and the fact that the topic of choice was _him_, certainly didn't aid the situation.

"I don't believe you RO." Bomber leaned forward in her seat, arms coming to a rest on the table between them. "You don't like hanging out with the rest of the crew and you don't share much about your personal life. At most, people know what your job is, you're unsocial and your middle name is James – yes, Robert _James_ Dixon, people know what the 'J' stands for," she added, off his stunned look.

RO shook his head. "It might bother you that I'm not as social as ET or Spider, but I honestly don't care. I am who I am because it's who _I _want to be. I don't like to share my personal life because it's no-one's concern other than my own." He paused, catching the set of her jaw as she held back a retort. "You call me unsocial and mysterious, but maybe that's all there is. I'm unsocial, yes, I admit that, but perhaps there is a reason. Am I mysterious? No. There is nothing mysterious about me. Just because I choose not to share my personal life with others, or partake in activities with the crew outside of a working relationship – with the exception of a few nights in various ports and today – doesn't mean I am a mysterious person. It is merely a brand – a generalisation – you have given me, simply because I am not 'one of the boys'."

Bomber was speechless. For as long as she had known the leading seaman, he had never spoken in _that_ tone, in _that_ manner – as if he had been raised for better things than being a lowly sailor. Words escaped her, causing her to merely stare (again, the action that had started this whole debacle) in stunned silence.

It was only when their food had been placed in front of them, did the frosty air between them begin to melt and Bomber found her tongue.

"Look, RO, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... you know... intrude on your personal life. It's just—" She stopped herself before she could continue, knowing that she was only making up excuses and rendering her apology mute. "I'm sorry."

RO look at her from across the table, brown eyes meeting brown, one pair looking away (not his) before anything could be exchanged. He smiled slightly, catching the blush of embarrassment colouring her cheeks.

"Let's just finish lunch."

The doorbell rang around twelve thirty. Taking off her gloves, Kate opened the front door to reveal Nikki Caetano carrying a bag of takeout and a DVD. She smiled brightly as her host shuffled to let her in.

"I figured to you were either cleaning or doing... other things when you didn't answer your phone, so I figured I'd come around either way to check which one. I also thought you probably hadn't eaten so I brought lunch – which I can see was a brilliant idea on my part because you look like you haven't had anything to eat since last night." Nikki cocked her head to the side, a sly smile playing at her lips. "You haven't eaten since last night, have you? Oh Kate... did Mike come 'round?"

Kate rolled her eyes, willing the smirk she was holding in to go away. It didn't.

"Kate!" Nikki squealed, dropping the food on the kitchen counter and hugging her friend. "So you two are actually dating now? For real?"

Kate shook her head. "No, not at the moment. I think we're going to be discussing our situation tonight when he gets back from a meeting with Commander White at NavCom."

Her companion raised an eyebrow. "Mike's on at NavCom with Knocker? One a Sunday? And after everything that happened between you two last night?" She let out a huff. "And you're okay with that?"

"Why should I not be? It's just work, Nikki. Who am I to get in the way of a meeting with Commander White?"

"I don't know Kate... Knocker seems like the sort of woman to get what she wants, and she and Mike have known each other for a long time so... Who knows? I'd be careful, Kate, just in case she's trying something. They might be on a lunch date instead of at NavCom."

Kate laughed, grabbing two plates and cutlery. "I think Mike would have told me if he was going out to lunch with Knocker – but then, why would I mind? They've been friends since the Academy. But, if it puts your mind at rest, Nik, I'll be careful. And if I'm not, you have my permission to slap me as punishment."

Nikki smirked. "Your words, Katie, not mine."


	9. Chapter 8: Way Back When

Kate often wondered where life would have taken her had she not stumbled across the Defence Force brochures in her school library. Would she have still left her middle-of-no-where town? Or would she still be living there with her mother (that_ ungrateful-good-for-nothing-son-of-a-bitch_), taking care of her and living off whatever money she could make? It made Kate shudder to think of _what if_, but it was often the case that when she was not busy sailing around north eastern Australia chasing after illegal fishermen or pirates, her thoughts would wonder back to way back when, thoughts of a broken childhood mingling with the reverie of when Kate met Mike.

"Have you ever noticed that your forehead crinkles slightly when you think? And that your eyebrows knit together? It's pretty cute to watch, actually," Nikki observed, wide blue eyes watching from the other side of the couch – a child watching her mother.

Kate laughed, shaking her head in an attempt to clear her mind. "I don't really spend time looking at myself in the mirror when I'm thinking – but thanks for the observation. I'm sure you have your own peculiar habits too – like how your eyes bulge and mouth falls open when you discover something scandalous."

"I do not!"

"Yeah, you do. I remember that time when—"

"Okay, don't even bring that up." Nikki smirked. "That was pretty horrifying."

"Sure was," Kate agreed, smiling. She sighed in contentment. "So what are your plans for the rest of the day – after you've finished hassling me?"

The navigator blushed, eyes glancing down in a secretive moment. "Josh wants to take me up the coast for some sightseeing and dinner."

"Oh?" Eyebrows raised and waiting, Kate was expecting more, but got only silence. Coming to her own conclusion, she sat back in her seat and observed, "Mike's going to be unhappy."

Nikki's eyes snapped up. "What? Why?"

Kate smiled gently, a small reassurance that the man in question wasn't going to be _too_ greatly disappointed. "Because," she started, then stopped, reconsidering. "I know things."

Lunch had turned out to be a pretty interesting meal. Not only had they managed to have a small falling out, but had patched up the situation with tedious small talk and wide-eyed (on her part) glances from across the table. It was strange (and somewhat awful) to experience. They talked of work and of life, movies and books they wanted to watch and read, respectively, as well as what they had thought about doing after the Navy. That is, if they ever left. It seemed that Robert J. Dixon would never leave – "The Navy is all I've known and wanted to be a part of." – but Bomber... she was another story altogether. She'd joined out of having nowhere to go. Abandoning her parents, her family, her previous life as a farm girl, she had dreamed of bigger and better things. The Navy just happened to be there.

"What did you want to do?" RO asked slowly, eyes never leaving his plate.

"I wanted to dance," she answered immediately.

He looked up, surprise etched into his eyes and the set of his mouth. Fork raised, he put it down gently. "Dance? Why dance?" He was genuinely curious. Which goes without saying, because the RO was _never_ genuinely curious. He practically lived off the saying 'curiosity killed the cat' and whenever he did ask about something it was out of politeness for the situation. He never actually _cared_.

Bomber smiled. "Because I wanted to." She laughed, knowing she would need to expand. "Because I enjoyed it, and because my dance teacher said I could be one of the best if I applied myself – practised every day, applied for other schools, went to auditions."

"Why did you join the Navy then, if you wanted to dance?"

She shrugged, frowning. "I don't know. If I was to come up with an answer though, I guess it was because I was young and easily influenced. Ballet is a competitive sport and extremely judgemental. It takes a toll on your body and your psyche, and I guess I didn't want to have to go through the pressure to be perfect. I think that was the one reason that made me want to join the Navy. I didn't have these expectations to be skinny and perfect, or the competition to be the best. I was allowed to just be me."

RO picked up his fork again, stabbing at something before bringing it to his mouth. "Do you ever miss it?" he asked after he had swallowed.

"Every day. I sometimes wonder what might have happened had I continued – whether or not I would have made the Australian Ballet or just simply fallen short. But I suppose I can't dwell on the past too much." She smiled softly, head falling to the side in thought.

"Do you still dance?"

"Sometimes when we're on leave, I'll take out my old pointe shoes and go through the positions – flex my muscles and test how inflexible I've become."

"Are you as capable as way back when?" He grinned at her clear amusement because the answer seems like such an obvious one.

"What do you think RO? I'm out of practice most of the time and sure as hell not as flexible as I was when I was sixteen. I suppose it's cool that I can still do the splits, but my arabesque isn't as fluid as it used to be which is sort of disappointing."

"You could relearn." It was an off the cuff comment that he didn't really think about, as he finished off his meal, but Bomber's eyebrows had shot up in surprise.

"Are you saying I should just leave the Navy and go back to being a ballerina?" She leant over the table unconsciously, the green flecks in Robert's eyes now visible to her own. "Why would you say that exactly, Robert?"

The blank expression on his face could have killed her. "Nothing at all; I was only saying that you _could_ relearn, not that you should leave the Navy." A slight look of superiority that Bomber couldn't quite place. "Besides, it'd mean the loss of an excellent cook."

At his words, all she could give was a small smile, unsure of whether or not accept his words as a compliment or a jibe. Thinking it over, she thought it best to go with the former.

The sun was beginning to arch across the sky, and one had to look west instead of east to watch its path. Lunch had turned into something closer to afternoon tea and for some, it was deemed to remain so if it weren't for the fact that they had other engagements to attend to.

"Well, Kate, whilst I would like to interrogate you a little bit more about our dear CO, I have to head off. Josh will be coming up home soon and I need to get ready for dinner." Nikki paused at the door, smiling slyly at Kate who remained hovering behind her to see her out. "Have fun tonight."

"Get out," Kate laughed, pushing the brunette slightly across the threshold. "Have a good time at dinner – you never know what might happen!"

Nikki shook her head, adamant that _nothing _was going to happen. Oh boy, how wrong she was going to be if ET's phone call from before her friend turned up, was any indication.

"_Kate McGregor speaking." She was attempting to juggle her phone between her ear and shoulder, a basket of laundry in one hand and another cup of coffee in the other._

"_Uh, X? It's ET."_

"_Oh, hi! How are you?" Kate dropped the basket with a huff, reaching for the phone before it slipped and readjusted it more securely. She took a sip of coffee, waiting for ET to reply._

"_Yeah, good. Look, I was wondering if you could help me with something."_

_A frown began to form and she put her cup down. "What is it?"_

"_I'm taking Nikki out for dinner tonight, and, well, I'm hoping to ... ask her to marry me." Kate squealed a little inside, excitement running havoc through her system. "But, I don't exactly know how to go about it. Or I do, but I wanted someone to run it by."_

_Her lips pulled into a grin. "Look, ET, whatever you do, I'm sure Nikki will love. Don't worry yourself over it. As long as Nikki has __**you**__ everything will work out fine." She paused. "Good luck."_

Kate felt herself begin to smile again. She really was happy for Nikki and Josh. They were very Romeo and Juliet, as star-crossed as a couple in love could be, but they were incredibly professional, so she could trust them to be discreet in their ... relationship onboard _Hammersley_.

Checking the clock, she caught the time and was surprised how quickly time had actually passed. Mike was supposed to be coming back soon, but somewhere inside made her ache with worry, if not a little jealousy. He was with _Maxine_, whether it was a professional setting or a personal one, she couldn't tell and she wasn't about to find out. Whatever it was though, she supposed she should finally put that laundry in the washer before she completely forgot.

"Got somewhere to be Mike?" Maxine asked, amused by the frequency with which he checked his watch. "It's only 1630 and it's Sunday. Surely whatever it is you deem to be so important can wait until after dinner."

"We've been sitting here since lunch!" Mike laughed, looking up from his watch to catch the way the blonde in front of him smirked. Ryan had left them an hour or so ago, claiming he had had to catch up with friends he hadn't seen yet after his trip, leaving just the two of them to reminisce about way back when.

"And we've made a wonderful time of it," Maxine countered. "Do you remember the time in our second year at the Academy when one Professor Gilmore nearly caught you _cheating _off me during one of his impromptu tests?"

"Don't remind me," he groaned, shame faced and laughing. "One of the worst ten seconds of my life when he turned around and seemed to stare right through me. I honestly thought he might have failed me for the entire semester. It reminds me of high school."

"Oh really? The Great Mike Flynn _cheated _in high school too?" Maxine leaned in closer, intrigued at his revelation. "Do tell."

Mike smirked, beginning to recount his high school days and how he always seemed to be getting in trouble, always the school heartthrob and most popular guy at school. Followed by girls and friends with all the blokes; star rugby player and not half stupid when it came to the use of a calculator.

"I was actually smart, believe it or not, for all the cowboying I did."

Maxine laughed at that, enjoying the atmosphere that they had created: something comfortable and light and not overly bearing that she was struggling to stay above water. It was peaceful to just listen to him talk and talk and talk. She liked the way his eyes lit up or mouth lifted into a crooked smile when he recalled something amusing, and better yet it made him forget what the time was.

And to check his watch.

Bomber was amazed.

Lunch had gone surprisingly well, despite the slight awkwardness and sudden openness she found herself in as she revealed to Robert about her long forgotten dream. It was strangely comforting to be talking so easily about it, especially after what had actually happened – why she would never feel the wood beneath her feet, or the strain as she lifted up on to her toes.

One day, she might tell him, but not today. Today had just been ... perfect the way it was. Of course, nearly everything with the RO was. He had taken her home, shortly after they finished lunch, though it had been the long route through the park as to enjoy the view (and the company). He had talked a little of his time at recruit school, recalled the horrors of his first night at sea when sea sickness had claimed him soul and all until there was nothing left. It had been a good afternoon.

And then they'd gotten to her door, and she began to wonder what might happen.

She had felt like a teenager all over again, her first date out with a boy she really, really, _really_ liked, all small movements and wide eyed wonder if he would actually kiss her.

He did.

Soft and warm and sweet and so totally Robert that she was singing inside. When he broke away, he looked away shyly, shifting uncomfortably for lack of anything else to do. Finally, when he had gathered the courage to meet her dazed gaze, he smiled and told her he would call her later.

Just like that.

He kissed her and then told her he would call her later. What the _heck_. But. Bomber had to admit, grinning and starry eyed like it was first ever kiss, that she would have waited an eternity for that phone call if it meant another kiss from him.

* * *

**A/N: Many, many, many, _many_ x infinity apologies for the lack of update in recent months, but I have been so unmotivated and busy and uninspired (I swear, VCE is sucking the life out of me) that I just haven't done _anything_. But! I wrote ^ which is an unbelievable achievement in itself. It was written mostly in one go - a result of being utterly and completely over Chemistry. I actually had to go back and re-read the last few chapters so I could re-immerse myself within the setting and characters. I admit I was a little rusty after writing nothing but text responses and analysis essays and stories based on utter crap for the past half a year; but I have done my very best. However, like I said: rusty, so my apologies (again) for the sort of corny as can be fluffy cliff hanger there. **

**I will attempt to update more regularly in the future, but I cannot make any promises because it is my final year of high school and I have exams ... in the next five days D: Plus I have my Officer Selection Board for the Navy in July :O so I will be busy preparing for that on top of starting Unit 4 :/ BUT ANYWAY, I hope you had all enjoyed this chapter and it lived up to your expectations :D Remember to review as they lighten up my day and keep me sane through exams ^_^**

**gee~**

**P.S. I couldn't be bothered going over this, so any mistakes, grammatical or otherwise are all my own =="**


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